Through the Years
by Ryeloza
Summary: A series of missing moments from the show, all pertaining to Piper and Leo's relationship.
1. For the First Time

**Disclaimer**: I do not own _Charmed_ or anything related to it. I also do not own any of the songs mentioned in this story. This is not a songfic, though.

**Author's Notes (edited 12/2/07)**: This work is a series of one-shots that take place throughout the series. The common link between them is that they all have to do with Piper and Leo's relationship. Each moment in this story has a song that I had in mind as inspiration; each chapter title is the name of one of the songs.

I hope everyone who reads this enjoys the stories. Thanks for any feedback!

_Katie_

**Disclaimer 2**: I don't own _Charmed_ nor do I own anything related to Kenny Loggins' song, "For the First Time." I especially don't own the dialogue from the episodes, "Thank You For Not Morphing" and "The Witch is Back." This takes place throughout the stretch of time between "Thank You For Not Morphing" and "Secrets and Guys."

**Through the Years**

**One: For the First Time**

_Such a long time ago  
I had given up on findin' this emotion  
Ever again  
But you live with me now  
Yes I've found you some how  
And I've never been so sure _

_And for the first time I am looking in your eyes  
For the first time I'm seein' who you are  
Can't believe how much I see  
When you're lookin' back at me  
Now I understand why love is,  
Love is, for the first time..._

-Kenny Loggins, "For the First Time"

Leo stood outside of the manor, toolbox in his left hand, nervously tapping the package in his right hand against his leg. He had been standing there for five minutes, and added to the additional twenty minutes it had taken him to conjure up the nerve to orb to the house, the waiting seemed to be an eternity. The truth was, he was scared out of his mind; he hadn't been this anxious about a job since his first charge. But these were the Charmed Ones. They were not ordinary charges. How could he possibly be calm about this job?

For nearly twenty-three years, Leo had been waiting for this moment; ever since Phoebe had been born and the Elders had revealed to him that he was the Whitelighter of the Charmed Ones. Being the Whitelighter of any children born into the Warren line was honor enough, but to be the Whitelighter of the Charmed Ones? It was stunning, how amazing and nerve-wracking that felt.

Since the girls' powers had been bound at such young ages, Leo had had very little opportunity to get to know any of them. It had been unnecessary, what with Patty and then Penny to look after the girls and guide them, for him to be an active part of their lives at that point anyway, but compounded with their bound powers Leo's role had been almost completely passive. He had met each of them, once, after they were born, but other than that he had merely listened for any cry for help they might need. Up until two weeks ago, there hadn't been anything that warranted attention.

The Elders had forewarned him, recently, that the sisters were about to come into their powers, but it had still come as a shock when the girls went from being less than a blip on his radar to a full fledged red alert. The night after they received their powers he began to feel their slight panic, combined with anticipation, and then, suddenly, his sense of Piper had gone through the roof, fear clearly overriding her entire being. Immediately, he orbed to her, not allowing himself to be seen, but merely lingering, waiting to be of use if she needed him. To his relief, though, all three sisters managed to hold their own extremely well against the warlock, and he had no need to reveal himself.

It was, however, necessary to get closer to them, which was precisely why he used his dust on Prue and convinced her to hire him as a handyman. Now that he was here, though, he wasn't sure he would be able to go through with it.

For the tenth time that night he reassured himself, going through his mental list of reasons that this was no big deal, just a job like any other one. Something tickled at the back of his mind, though, telling him just the opposite; this would be a job that changed his life. He ignored it, took a deep breath, and rang the doorbell.

Within seconds, the door swung open in front of him, spilling light onto the front stoop. Leo managed to put a shaky smile on, looking down at the sister in front of him, whose presence radiated even from this distance and shrouded him like a blanket. It was Piper, he thought.

"Hi," he said. "I'm Leo Wyatt, the handyman."

"Oh hi," she said, looking slightly surprised. "I'm Piper. Why don't you come on in?"

Leo followed her into the house, glancing around as he went. It really was a beautiful place; despite all of his worries he was going to enjoy working on it.

Piper led him into the living room, and they stopped in the doorway, where he was finally able to get a good look at all three of the sisters together. Despite his lack of contact with them, it was incredibly easy to sense which was which: Prue's confidence and pride; Piper's warmth and comfort; Phoebe's energy and enthusiasm. All three were very distinct.

"Uh, hi," said Prue. She was distracted. "You must be Mr. Wyatt."

"The handyman?" said Phoebe, disbelief sketched across her features.

"Call me Leo," Leo said, trying to sound more confident than he felt. It was slightly easier with Prue in such close quarters.

"Gladly," said Phoebe. She smirked, and Leo shifted a little uneasily. Then he remembered the package.

"This was on the front steps," he said, holding out the yellow envelope towards Prue. She took it from him and opened it, while Leo fumbled awkwardly for something else to say. "This place is, uh, you don't find many like this around anymore."

"Yeah, it's kind of falling apart," said Piper, speaking for the first time since she'd answered the door. Here, finally, was a topic he could feel at ease with.

"The problem isn't the manor," he said truthfully, "it's the manner in which it was treated. I'd love to see more." It had been too long since he had been here; he needed to re-familiarize himself with the house.

"I would love to show it to you," said Phoebe. "The attic is right this way." Eagerly, she pushed past Piper and linked her arm with Leo's, pulling him towards the stairs.

"Guys," Prue said, and Phoebe turned slightly, probably reading the distress in Prue's voice as well as he could.

"Uh, I'll be right up," she said, and Leo watched her for a moment before heading up the stairs himself.

His first instinct was to go to the attic; it'd be helpful to see the Book of Shadows again and reacquaint himself with the room. If Phoebe caught him looking at the Book, though, who knew what would happen. No, he'd have to save that for a day he was alone in the house. Instead he wandered up the stairs and moved towards one of the bedroom doors, genuinely inspecting the wood, albeit with more time than he normally would have allotted. A few minutes later he heard someone coming up the steps, and he was surprised when Piper tapped him on the shoulder instead of Phoebe.

For the first time, he really looked at her. She was more petite than he had expected, and she stood in front of him, ringing her hands slightly, but maintaining eye contact. Her eyes were gorgeous. If he hadn't been able to read her already, one look in her eyes could have told him everything.

"I'm really sorry," she said, "but I think we're going to have to put off the grand tour until tomorrow. We...um...just got a package from our dad, and we haven't heard from him in awhile, and so-" She cut off abruptly and laughed a little nervously. "Sorry," she said. "You don't want to hear all this."

"No, it's okay," said Leo. "I understand." He smiled, hopefully, reassuringly. "I'll come back tomorrow morning, okay?"

"Yes, that would be great," said Piper. "Um...So I'll show you out."

Leo followed her back down the stairs and to the front door, which she opened up and held as he walked through. "Thanks a lot for stopping by tonight," she said.

"Oh, yeah," said Leo. "It was no problem." He shifted his toolbox from one hand to the other. "So...I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah," said Piper. "Goodnight."

"'Night," said Leo, and he turned to walk away, waiting until the door was closed to orb away.

* * *

It was strange how quickly working at the Halliwells' went from being a nerve-wracking job to being a pleasure, and Leo supposed if he had been forewarned about what was to come, this fact would have been the first to send off warning bells. Perhaps if he had known, he would have gone to the Elders and asked to be reassigned. Perhaps he would have been able to stop himself. But hindsight is twenty-twenty, and there was no way Leo could have predicted that the ease he felt around the sisters was merely the tip of an incredibly large, dangerous iceberg. 

The entire debacle began innocently enough. He became more and more accustomed to the girls' habits (Prue was always the first up and the first out; Phoebe was crabby if she had to make her own coffee in the morning, because it would always be too weak; Piper hated her job and put off leaving the house every morning), and found himself soon at ease in the family atmosphere. It had been fifty-some years, after all, since he had been in a true family situation, and he had never thought he really missed it until he began to spend time with another family. But he simply assumed it was natural; he had never had charges from the same gene pool before, but certainly other Whitelighters had encountered the same phenomenon in their work with families.

What was neither as innocent or as easy to justify, however, was the way he found himself gazing at Piper whenever she entered the room. _Here's your coffee, Leo_, and he'd begin a mantra in his head to keep himself from staring at her lips. _I'll be in the kitchen if you need anything_, and he'd try not to watch her ass as she walked away from him. He started to notice little things, like how much talking she did with her hands, and then he'd have to summon all his strength not to grab her hands and stop them in their nervous movement. The one thing he could never avoid, however, no matter how much he reprimanded himself, was looking into Piper's eyes. He had never seen eyes so alive, so deep, so expressive; if anything would bring about his downfall, it would have to be that. Deep down, though, he continued to believe that his sudden fascination with the middle Halliwell sister would never amount to anything, so long as he continued suppressing his desires.

It was hard though, without a doubt. One morning he arrived at the manor later than usual to find Prue already gone and Phoebe running out the door, "To do some research," she babbled awkwardly before disappearing. He assumed it was code for a demonic problem, and entered the house with the full intention of orbing Up There to talk to the Elders just as soon as he had a cup of coffee (in another hopeless moment of finally belonging in a family, he had become addicted the dark liquid forced on him at least four times each morning). When he walked into the kitchen, though, he was surprised to find Piper, still in her pajamas and bathrobe, standing on tiptoe and trying to reach something in the highest cupboard.

"Dammit," she swore, and Leo suppressed a smile. Without thinking it through, he walked up behind her and reached up into the cupboard, grabbing the box of muffin mix Piper's outstretched arm was still trying to grasp. In the process, his body brushed up against the back of hers, and immediately he regretted his instinct to help; there was nothing innocent in the shock that went through his entire body at the contact.

Piper turned around slowly, trapped between the counter and Leo, who, despite his retrospective chastising of his haste, had yet to move away. "Uh...did you need this?" he asked, swallowing hard. She was staring him straight in the eye again.

"Yeah," said Piper, and suddenly Leo was very aware that she still in her pajamas. And in her bare feet. Wow, she was tiny. If he wanted to kiss her he'd have to lean down much further... Wait, had he just thought about kissing her?

Shaking his head, he handed Piper the box, and dropped his hand, grazing her hip as he went and resisting the urge to let it stop and rest there. Piper licked her lips, and for an eternity of mere seconds, Leo simply stared at her in total awe. Then, without warning, Kit jumped up onto the counter and knocked over a coffee mug, breaking the moment. Leo backed away quickly, and ran a hand through his hair while Piper let out a nervous laugh and scolded Kit with words that seemed incoherent to Leo. Kit leapt back to the floor and stalked out of the kitchen, sending Leo what he was sure was a scathing look.

"Sorry about that," said Piper, as Leo commanded himself to focus. "I don't know what gets into that cat sometimes."

"Yeah," said Leo, forcing himself to laugh a little. Piper looked up at him somewhat hopefully and Leo mentally kicked himself. "I...uh...better go look at the...thing," he sputtered, and swallowed the bitter guilt he felt when Piper's face dropped a little.

"Oh, yeah, sure," said Piper. "I'll...uh...bring you some coffee in a few minutes."

"Don't go to any trouble," said Leo, ignoring his brain's incessant mantra of _get the hell out of here before you do anything else stupid_.

"It's no trouble," said Piper. "I have the day off, so Phoebe made the coffee this morning, and hers is terrible, so I have to make a new pot anyway." She turned around to face the counter again, disconnecting herself from Leo, and finally allowing him the opportunity to steal away.

Yes, it was certainly the moments like that that should have sent him hightailing it back Up There and asking for someone else to take over. But back then, Leo had been certain he could resist Piper, no matter how crazy she made him.

* * *

Nearly three weeks later, Leo found himself entering the manor to yet another unusually quiet morning. He had knocked on the door three times, but when none of the sisters answered he tried the door handle and the door swung open, allowing him to walk in to find a house devoid of any activity. Maybe, he thought, they were sleeping late after such a hard vanquish the previous day. 

He figured he'd start working without disturbing them, and headed off towards the downstairs bathroom. Just as he neared the stairs, however, Piper bounded down, already dressed, and looked at him in surprise.

"Leo," she said. "You're here. Why are you here?"

What in the world, he wondered, was she so agitated about at this time of the morning that she had forgotten that he came over at this time almost every day. It couldn't be another demon already.

"I thought I'd work on the plumbing in the downstairs bathroom," he said, trying his best to resist temptation to sense what Piper was feeling at the moment. In another moment he supposed was a sign that he should have resigned as the sisters' Whitelighter, he had resolved to respect Piper's privacy, and her sisters' too, unless they specifically needed his help. That was something he couldn't help but sense.

"Oh," said Piper, still looking anxious about something. "Now's not really a good time. We're getting our cousin Melinda ready to go away."

Leo bit back the noise of sudden clarity he had been about to make and simply nodded.

"Can you come back later?" Piper continued. "Like tomorrow?"

"Sure," said Leo, but inside his stomach dropped. Spending time at the manor had fast been becoming his favorite part of his job, and the idea of having to spend his day elsewhere wasn't at all approached with anticipation. He quelled the feeling, though, and turned to leave.

"Uh, Leo?" said Piper, sounding even more nervous than she had just before she'd told him about Melinda. He turned back around and looked up at her; her eyes were wide with fear and hope. He swallowed hard and tried to act casual. Piper took a deep breath. "Would you like to go out sometime?" she asked. "With me, that is."

Leo felt light in his head and dizzily captivated by the look on Piper's face, so much so that he wasn't even certain who he was anymore. "I'd love to," he said. "Give me a call."

Piper's expression melted into something so full of love and expectation Leo had to resist gravitating towards her and kissing her right then. "Okay," she said, and she flashed him a smile before turning and running back up the stairs.

For several minutes after she left, Leo stood rooted in place in a state of utter shock and euphoria. He had just been asked out by Piper Halliwell. Piper Halliwell, the warmest person he'd ever met. The quickest with a quip. One of the Charmed Ones.

One of the Charmed Ones?

Leo eyes widened and he turned and walked out of the house as fast as he could. What the hell had he been thinking? He couldn't go out with one of the Charmed Ones. One of his charges. "I'm losing my mind," he said.

* * *

After realizing how foolish it had been for him to accept a date from one of his charges, Leo spent a good deal of his free time trying to figure out how to get out of it. At first he figured he'd just tell Piper he couldn't when she called him. Instead of calling him, though, she found him alone in the house one day, and finalized plans with him there. With her standing two feet away from him, he couldn't bring himself to break it off, so they'd agreed to go out to dinner, and maybe a movie afterwards. 

Once his first plan failed, Leo figured he could count on Phoebe as a fallback. After all, the first time Piper had asked him out, Phoebe had conveniently been around to horn her own invitation. If she did so again, then there was no chance of him doing anything else inappropriate. Unfortunately, he realized quite quickly after formulating this plan, that Piper and Phoebe had apparently come to some mutual understanding. Even when openly discussing the date around her, Phoebe didn't even nibble at the bait.

His final plan, the one he had the least faith in, was to go on the date and simply pretend it was a getting to know you session. The level of confidence he had in this idea was very little, and as the night of their date...no, getting to know you session...arrived, it became very apparent that his plan was going to erode before his very eyes.

It all began with a nice little warning from Prue, in which she pretty much told him not to hurt Piper or he'd be facing her wrath. From there, his fragile facade chipped away a little more, as Piper came down the stairs looking more gorgeous than he'd ever seen her. Then the innocent touching began: his hand on her lower back; their knees bumping under the table; their fingers touching as he handed her the salt. And that led to the not so innocent touching, beginning after dinner, when Piper took his hand, and leading all the way to the end of the date, when he slipped an arm around her shoulder.

In the end, though, it finally collapsed on the front porch, when Piper stood in front of him, looking beautiful, ethereal in the moonlight, tucking her hair behind her ear and murmuring that she'd had a wonderful time. It was in that instant, that he ceased to be a Whitelighter, and she was no longer his charge. They were simply a man and a woman, and he wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms and never let her go.

So he kissed her, and from that moment on, nothing could be the same.


	2. In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning

**Disclaimer**: I don't own _Charmed_ nor do I own anything related to Carly Simon's song, "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning." This takes place somewhere around "That 70s Episode."

**Through the Years**

**Two: In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning**

_In the wee small hours of the morning  
While the whole wide world is fast asleep  
You lie awake and think about the boy  
And never ever think of counting sheep_

_When your lonely heart has learned its lesson  
You'd be his if only he'd call  
In the wee small hours of the morning  
That's the time you miss him most of all_

_-_Carly Simon, "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning"

Piper picked up the coffee pot and started to pour it into her mug when a pair of arms snuck around her torso, settling right under her breasts. The arms pulled her back against a warm chest and she set the coffee pot down, completely forgetting about it.

"Hey," said Leo, kissing the back of her head and working his way down the side of her face, planting light kisses the entire way. Piper twisted around in his arms and he immediately pressed his mouth into hers in a firm kiss, to which she eagerly responded. When he finally broke it off he left his lips against her mouth and said, "You stole my shirt."

"It's flannel," said Piper. "Soft and warm. Exactly what I needed." She pushed against his mouth again, eager to repeat their earlier activity.

Leo's hands slipped down from her shoulders, over her ass, and up underneath the shirt where he began to slowly caress her back. Piper moaned a little into his mouth, and he pushed his knee between her legs, backing her straight into the counter. It had been an unexpected surprise, she thought, that Leo was simultaneously forceful and tender in his ministrations. She'd been the one to make every move in their relationship so far, though he'd been so very eager in his replies that she'd figured he was just shy. Knowing him better now, though, she wondered if she'd mistaken timidity for something deeper.

"I kind of need it back," he said as he began to kiss his way down her neck. At the same time his hands snaked around to her stomach, before dropping lower in a feather light touch, to the outside of the shirt and up, where he started to undo the buttons, beginning at the top. For her part, Piper clutched the back of his t-shirt and pulled him in toward her, as close as he could get.

He was almost through with the buttons when she remembered that they were in the kitchen, and that Prue and Phoebe could get back at any minute. "Mmm," she said, pulling back to catch her breath a little. "We can't...here. We...should go...upstairs."

"Upstairs is so far away," said Leo, moving back in to kiss her again.

"My sisters," she managed to say, and it was enough. Leo reluctantly pulled away and grabbed her hand.

"All right," he said. "Come on."

He tugged on her hand and began to lead her out of the kitchen towards the stairs. She felt so alive, so happy right now. Laughing, she looked up at Leo and in the distance she heard a loud ringing. No, that couldn't be right. What...?

Piper opened her eyes slowly and blinked, looking around her bedroom. Groaning loudly she turned over onto her side and smacked her alarm clock, pissed off that it had ruined her dream. With Leo gone her dreams were just about the only place she got gratification these days. The morning light was just beginning to come through her window and she knew she should get up to start to get ready for work, but just the thought of going to Quake was enough to make her want to curl up in her blankets and never emerge.

It had been almost two months since Leo had awkwardly broken things off with her and Piper could hardly believe she wasn't over it yet. In her entire life she'd never fallen for a guy so hard so fast; and for one that had left her with little to no explanation as to why he was leaving. It was simply incomprehensible that she'd still be thinking about him. Most of the time she'd just tell herself that it was because she hadn't found anyone else remotely likeable since Leo, but sometimes, like right now when she was still half-asleep, she would admit that it was because she didn't want anyone else. In her deepest desires, she couldn't help but want him to suddenly appear out of the blue again.

"Leave it to me to fall in love with the world's most secretive man," she mumbled into her pillow.

Maybe she shouldn't have called it off so casually. Maybe she should have fought harder to get him to admit the truth and then maybe he could have stayed. Whatever he was hiding couldn't be that bad, could it?

There was a loud knock on the door and Prue said, "Piper, are you up? You said you needed to go to work early today, so I was going to let you use the shower first. Remember?"

"Yeah, Prue," said Piper, not looking up. Leave it to Prue to spoil her wallowing.

"Well then get up," said Prue. "I have to get ready too, you know."

"Yeah, Prue," said Piper. She ran a hand through her hair and sighed loudly. Why was it that nothing in her life seemed to be working out the way she wanted?

"Piper!" said Prue.

Well, at least she still had her sisters. That was one thing to be grateful for. And with that thought, she finally pulled off the covers and went to start the day, determined to put Leo out of her mind.


	3. You Get Through

Disclaimer: I don't own _Charmed_ nor do I own anything related to Jennifer Paige's song, "You Get Through." This takes place after the episode, "Love Hurts."

**Through the Years**

**Three: You Get Through**

_You, you get through  
Even with my walls in place  
Even with my poker face  
And all those little girl games I play  
You, you get through  
And you never let me down  
Never disappointed  
With the love you've found  
You get through_

-Jennifer Paige, "You Get Through"

"So," said Phoebe, flopping down on Piper's bed and pulling a pillow into her arms, "how's it feel to be in love with an angel?"

"Don't you have something better to be doing?" asked Piper. "I have to finish this work tonight."

"No. Prue's still at work. Plus, you know, we never really got to discuss the whole Leo situation. I thought you might like to talk."

"You did, huh?" said Piper. "Don't you mean that you were bored and felt like gossiping?"

"Same difference. Now spill."

Piper sighed, and turned to face her little sister. "You're not going to let this drop, are you?"

"Not a chance."

"Fine." She set aside her work and pulled her legs up so she was sitting cross-legged. "What do you want to know so badly?"

"Are you going to keep dating?" asked Phoebe. "Leo said it was forbidden, but I know you two are in love."

The word forbidden, which had sounded ominous and utterly true a few days ago when Leo had said it, sounded more like a word from a romance novel when it came out of Phoebe's mouth. Hearing her sister say it so casually, Piper wondered if maybe she had exaggerated just what forbidden meant in her mind.

"Yes, we're going to keep dating," said Piper. "Leo didn't seem to think the consequences would be too bad if his bosses found out." What Leo had actually said, of course, was, "What's the worst they can do?" But what she said was practically the same.

"Oh," said Phoebe. "It's so romantic. You're in love with someone who loves you." She sighed. "He really is crazy about you, you know."

"Yeah," said Piper, smiling shyly, "I know."

Phoebe grinned. "You're going to have the cutest kids."

"Phoebe!" said Piper, jabbing her sister's arm. "I haven't even known him a year. And I've only known his true identity for a week. There are no kids anywhere in my near future. You hear me?"

"Yeah, I hear you. But I didn't say it had to be right now, you know. I'm very intuitive, Piper. I can sense things about people, and I can literally see the future. So I can smile about my future nieces and nephews if I want to."

"What are you saying?" asked Piper. "That you had a premonition of my and Leo's children?"

"No," said Phoebe. "But that's a great idea! Here, let me touch your arm, see if I see anything."

"Get off of me," said Piper. "You're ridiculous."

"Me? I'm not the one in love." Phoebe smacked Piper's knee playfully. "And you really are, Piper. I can see it all over you whenever you even think about Leo."

Piper smiled, very happy and acutely embarrassed at being so obvious. Being in love was something extraordinarily new for her. She hadn't even admitted it to herself until a week ago, but now that she had, she couldn't help but be thrilled that Leo was able to evoke such a passion within her.

"See," said Phoebe. "You're thinking about him right now."

"Yeah, well, I can't help it."

"I know. That's why you're so cute." She sat up and threw her arms around Piper, pulling her into a tight hug. "I'll go find something else to do now," she said. "But are you sure you want to give up that free premonition I offered? You can see if your kids get your eyes or his."

Piper rolled her eyes. "Very funny," she said.

"I try," said Phoebe, shrugging. She climbed off the bed and blew Piper a kiss before leaving the room.

Piper settled back against her headboard and sighed, completely distracted from her work now. Despite her reluctance to ever think too far into her future, Phoebe's words resonated with her. If there was ever a person to think about planning one with, it would certainly be Leo. She grinned. After all, admitting she loved him had to be the hardest step, right?


	4. Say Goodbye

**Disclaimer**: I don't own _Charmed_ nor do I own anything related to Brooke Allison's song, "Say Goodbye." This takes place after the episode, "P3H2O."

**Through the Years**

**Four: Say Goodbye**

_Once in every life  
Someone steals your heart  
And you are forever changed  
Even when you must part  
You find it hard to leave  
The feelings aren't gone  
But a voice inside is telling you  
You can't hold on_

_So say goodbye  
Oh I can't say that I won't cry  
Cause I'm so glad  
For everything we had  
The good and bad  
Say goodbye  
Just look at me  
You'll know that I­ still love you so  
Even though we have to say goodbye_

_-_Brooke Allison, "Say Goodbye"

"So now that I've finally cornered you, we can really talk," said Dan. He was grinning, and Piper tried to match his enthusiasm.

"Talk about what?" she asked.

"Everything," said Dan. "I want to know all about you. What's your favorite color? Did you ask for bedtime stories or lullabies when you were young? Best friends, stories... Everything, Piper."

"Everything," she said. "Right."

_

* * *

"When Phoebe was little she used to make up all these crazy stories," Piper said to Leo. They were lying in bed together; Leo was on his stomach with his head turned to face her, one of his arms splayed over her midsection. Piper didn't think she had ever been so comfortable._

"What kind of stories?" asked Leo. He smiled at her and Piper ducked her head, slightly embarassed.

"Crazy fairy tales," said Piper. "She had a real imagination."

"I can believe that," said Leo.

"They were always about the three of us, you know. She'd stick us in." Piper looked up at the ceiling, laughing at her own private memory.

* * *

"Girls, are you ready for bed?" Grams asked as she knocked on the door. Piper, who was eleven, called out affirmatively and Grams came into the room. 

_"Tell me a story, Grams!" said eight-year-old Phoebe. She was practically jumping up and down on the bed, just like every other night. _

_Grams smiled, but she seemed tired and sad tonight. Piper glanced at Prue for reassurance, but Prue was buried in whatever book she was reading for school. Even though she had her own room, Prue still came into Piper and Phoebe's room every night while Grams was tucking them in. There would soon come a night when Prue claimed she was too old for this, but on this night Piper was still content in her big sister's presence. _

_"Where are we in_ Anne of Green Gables_?" asked Grams. _

_"No!" whined Phoebe. "Make up a story tonight!" _

_"Make up a story?" said Grams. "I don't know, Phoebe. Not tonight." _

_"Please," plead Phoebe. "I'll start it. Once upon a time there were three princesses. Their names were Victoria, Calandra and Eleanor." _

_Prue rolled her eyes, though she didn't lift her head from her book. Whenever Phoebe wanted a made up story she always used the same names: their middle names. At the time, Prue was going through a period where she hated her middle name because she had been named for her father. Eventually she would accept the name as her own, but that was many years away. Piper knew that it annoyed her endlessly that Phoebe insisted on using the name Victoria, but Phoebe had to have her way about this. _

_" Victoria was the oldest," Phoebe continued. "Calandra was in the middle and Eleanor was the baby. One day, an evil wit—" (Grams didn't like when they used witches as the antagonists, but Phoebe was almost always forgetting this fact) "—I mean demon took over the kingdom and locked the three princesses in a tower. Victoria and Calandra were very upset and they kept crying, but Eleanor told them not to worry because their princes would come and save them. Eleanor's prince was named Mikey and he was the handsomest." For several minutes, Phoebe went on describing Mikey's appearance. In every story she told she had a prince, and in every one the prince was different. _

_"Victoria's prince was named Lou and he had really thick dark hair," Phoebe continued. _

_"Phoebe!" said Prue. "I told you to stay out of my diary!" Piper giggled and Phoebe shrugged, clearly indifferent to Prue's anger. Grams raised an eyebrow in amusement, but didn't comment. _

_"Calandra's prince was named…uh…Elliot!" said Phoebe. That was pure improvisation, Piper knew. She didn't even know an Elliot. _

_"Anyway, they were waiting around for their princes to come, but it was taking forever. They didn't know that the evil demon had locked up their princes too! So Eleanor said, 'They're taking forever and I don't wait for any man!'" Both Piper and Prue stifled laughter at this; Grams said this all the time. "And then Eleanor told Victoria and Calandra to pull the bars off of the window because she had a secret weapon. Once her sisters had the bars off, Eleanor pulled out a secret purple ring that she had that her grandmother had given her. The ring let her fly! She took Victoria and Calandra's hands and flew out the window with them. She took them all the way to the princes' castle to give them a piece of her mind, and that's when the sisters realized that their princes had been captured too! _

_"Eleanor was so smart that she came up with another plan right away. She told Calandra and Victoria to keep watch and then marched off into the woods and found a dragon. She wrestled it to the ground and said, 'I need you to do me a favor, dragon! My prince is in trouble, and I need you to help me fight the evil demon.' The dragon agreed and Eleanor got on his back and flew up to the roof of the castle, where the evil demon was. The dragon blew fire all over the evil demon and destroyed it! Then Eleanor got her sisters and they all got their princes out of the dungeon. And they lived happily ever after! The end." _

_"That was a very nice story, Phoebe," said Grams. _

_Phoebe's mouth dropped open a little. "Whoops," she said. "I only meant to start it, Grams! Can you tell me another one since I accidentally told the whole thing?" _

_"Not tonight," said Grams. "It's time to go to sleep." _

_"Okay," said Phoebe reluctantly. She crawled under the covers. "Tomorrow night then." _

_"Hmm," said Grams. She kissed Phoebe on the head and then came around to Piper's bed, tucking her in too. When she was done, she went to Prue and patted her head, reminding her that it was time for her to leave. Prue gave both Piper and Phoebe quick kisses and then left, followed by Grams. "Goodnight, darlings," said Grams as she turned out the light. _

_Phoebe rolled over to face Piper. "Sorry I didn't have a good prince name for you," said Phoebe. _

_"It's okay," said Piper. "It's all make believe anyway." _

_"Well someday you'll have a prince," said Phoebe. She yawned. "When you do I'll make sure to put him in the story, okay?" _

_"Whatever you say, Pheebs."_

* * *

_"So your name is Piper Calandra?" asked Leo._

_"Yes," said Piper. "Don't laugh."_

_As though her words prompted him, Leo began to chuckle. Piper hit him with one of the pillows and he threw up his hands. "I'm sorry!" he said. "It's cute though. I mean, since Calandra means 'lark' and larks are kind of like pipers. Your parents had a good sense of humor."_

_Piper hugged the pillow to her chest and looked down at him thoughfully._

_"It suits you too," Leo added. "Piper Calandra."_

_Piper smiled, and leaned over to kiss him._

* * *

"So tell me something," said Dan.

"Well," said Piper. She found herself hesitant; that had been such a good memory, she almost didn't want to taint it. _Stop being ridiculous, _she chastised. _Leo's gone for good, remember? And you have to give Dan a chance. "_Phoebe used to make up stories about us when she was little. Fairy tales."

"Piper," said Dan in a slightly annoyed voice. Piper looked up from her cereal, honestly surprised.

"What?"

"You're being evasive. I asked about you, not Phoebe."

Piper stared at him for a moment and then nodded slowly. "Okay then."

She never did tell Dan her middle name.

* * *

**A/n (12/8/07): **Obviously, I've completely redone this chapter. It was the only chapter that I was extremely dissatisfied with, so I finally decided to re-write it. If you re-read it or are reading it for the first time, I'd love some feedback! Thanks so much.

_Katie_


	5. If Ever You're in My Arms Again

**Disclaimer**: I don't own _Charmed_ nor do I own anything related to Peabo Bryson's song, "If Ever You're In My Arms Again." This takes place sometime after the episode, "Animal Pragmatism," and before the episode, "Give Me a Sign."

**Through the Years**

**Five: If Ever You're In My Arms Again**

_We had a once in a lifetime  
But I just didn't know it  
Till my life fell apart  
A second once in a lifetime  
Isn't too much to ask  
'Cause I swear from the heart _

_If ever you're in my arms again  
This time I'll love you much better  
If ever you're in my arms again  
This time I'll hold you forever  
This time will never end _

_-_Peabo Bryson, "If Ever You're In My Arms Again"

Working at P3 was a paradox. On one hand, it meant seeing Piper every day and knowing he didn't have her. On the other hand, it meant seeing Piper every day and hoping someday soon he'd be able to have her. It was infuriating and exhilarating, to say the least.

He dreamed about her a lot. Running his fingers through her hair; her small, strong hands on his body, everywhere; her eyes, shut in ecstacy or open and gazing at him; touching her; loving her. It couldn't be natural, how much his dreams revolved around her. In his dreams, Dan was never around. He simply didn't exist. Daily, Leo wished that was true while he was awake too.

Leo knew instinctively that he and Piper belonged together. But that wasn't the problem, it never had been. The problem was, of course, that he and Piper couldn't be together. He'd seen his past lives, most of which included Piper; not once had they been able to make it together, and not once had it been because they weren't meant to be. There were always extenuating circumstances, like family or spouses or death. In his present situation, this was somewhat comforting. He and Piper weren't together at the moment because of stubbornness and personal problems, and based on their pasts together, this couldn't be the true end of their relationship. No, if they were really going to be apart it'd be because of some higher power, like the Elders. It gave him hope that he and Piper would have a second chance, and that maybe this would be the lifetime they'd complete their destiny and end up together.

Waiting for her to catch up and realize all of this, though, was beginning to take its toll.

Last week, he'd been unloading cases of alcohol from the truck and bringing them into the club. Piper had been sitting at the bar, looking over the financial records, and he figured that as soon as he was done, maybe he could have her to himself, if only for a few minutes. Dan had come in, though, and spoiled the atmosphere entirely. Leo had really wanted to deck him.

"What does she see in him?" he asked Prue, later that same day. She had showed up to talk to Piper, and Piper had excused herself to show Dan to the door.

"He's a nice guy," said Prue. "And good looking. And right next door."

"He looks like he takes the leftover grease from a fast food joint and pours it in his hair," said Leo, knowing it was a petty point and not caring in the slightest.

Prue smiled, but at the same time looked even more solemn. As though she pitied him. "I wouldn't give up," she said. "Piper does still love you. She's just...confused."

Before he could respond, Piper came back down the stairs and walked over, seating herself next to Prue. The conversation, which was sisterly, not demonic, did not concern Leo in any way, so he left them alone.

Then there were days like yesterday had been. Together, they'd been closing up the club, an activity Leo liked immensely. There was an eerie quiet, after so much noise, the lights were dim, and the club echoed with the atmosphere of its previous occupants. For some reason, it was calming, and he felt more centered than he did during his other duties working for Piper.

While he was turning chairs up onto the tables, he kept sneaking glances at Piper, who was wiping down the counter. She had haphazardly tied her hair back, but was still wearing her nice clothes. He drifted off, wondering, would this be his life if he and Piper got back together? If he never got his wings back? It was such a normal, comfortable thing in their hectic lives, that he smiled at the idea of always being able to do it. A constant, it would be, in an otherwise chaotic life.

"What?" said Piper from across the room, and Leo realized he had been staring throughout his musing.

"Nothing," he said. "I was just thinking about how much I like this."

Piper raised an eyebrow. "Cleaning up the club?" she asked. "Why?"

"Not cleaning up the club. Being here with you, in the aftermath of it all. It's comforting, for some reason."

"Oh," said Piper. She finished with the counter and walked across the room towards him, helping him with the chairs.

Working their way around the room in silence, they came nearer and nearer to one another, traveling towards the same table. When the met at it, each taking a chair and turning it up onto it, Leo fought hard to quell his urge to touch her. She was in arm's length; it would have been so simple.

"I guess that's it," said Piper. She smiled weakly at him. "I should get going."

"Yeah," said Leo, watching as she walked away, grabbing her purse and jacket from behind the bar. "Piper," he said, stopping her as she headed towards the stairs.

"What?"

A million things flew into his mind. A million little things he wanted to tell her. That he could do better this time. That he'd try harder. That he wouldn't take her for granted. That he wouldn't do things behind her back. That he'd love her, no matter what. Instead, he said, "Get some sleep."

"I will," she said. "Goodnight, Leo." And she walked away from him. Always, she seemed to be walking away from him.

And that night he dreamed again, of love and of happiness and, always, of her.


	6. I Miss You Like Crazy

**Disclaimer**: I don't own _Charmed_ nor do I own anything related to Natalie Cole's song, "I Miss You Like Crazy." This takes place towards the end of the episode, "Give Me A Sign," after they vanquish Litvack, but before the scene at P3.

**Through the Years**

**Six: I Miss You Like Crazy**

_Even though it's been so long  
My love for you keeps going strong  
I remember the things that we used to do  
A kiss in the rain till the sun shine through  
I tried to deny it but I'm still in love with you_

_  
I miss you like crazy  
I miss you like crazy  
Ever since you went away  
Every hour of every day_

-Natalie Cole, "Miss You Like Crazy"

"Dan, I'm a witch. A good witch. A witch with magical powers." Piper smiled at herself in the mirror and tried to look convincing. "I save people. I fight demons and warlocks." She sighed. "I've just lost you forever."

At times like this she wished she had a better relationship with her dad; then she could just call him up and ask him how Mom had broken the news to him in a way that hadn't made him run out the door immediately.

_Maybe Dad loved Mom enough to not let it get in the way_.

Shut up, brain, thought Piper. If that were true he wouldn't have ever left.

_You know magic was only part of it. There were extenuating circumstances_.

Piper made a face at herself in the mirror. She did know that, but it didn't mean she wanted to accept it or believe it. It was so much easier to think that magic was the root of all of relationship problems in the Halliwell family. If that were so, then it made sense that she gave up Leo, who had magic imbedded into his life as deeply as it was imbedded in hers. If magic was the only thing standing in the way of true love, then it didn't matter that she had let the man of her dreams go without a fight.

_The man of your dreams, huh? True love? Strange you should say that. You're supposed to be thinking of a way to be truthful with Dan so you can finally move to the next level in your relationship. That is, unless you're doing this to get rid of him and leave things free and clear for Leo._

Ugh. Her mind was not supposed to be so divided on this issue, let alone arguing with her. And why did the voice in her head sound so much like Phoebe?

_You're thinking too much. Just admit it. You love Leo. You love him and you miss him and you wish that right this minute you were in his arms instead of debating with yourself in front of a mirror._

But what about Dan, she couldn't help but argue back whiningly. He's been so good to me. And he loves me. And I...love...him.

_But not like you love Leo. Let's review, shall we? Who was the first man you ever got the nerve to approach with any romantic intentions?_

Leo.

_And who was the first person you ever considered telling you were a witch?_

Leo.

_Who is the first person you think about in the morning?_

Well, you know...it's early and...

_Who?_

...Leo.

_Uh huh. And when you wake up in the morning, for a split second you think you're in whose arms?_

Leo's. Alright. Fine. Happy? I'll admit it. I love Leo. I'm head over heels in love with him.

_And...?_

And I miss him a lot. An awful lot. When he was gone I couldn't stop thinking about him and now that he's back it's even worse. And, God, Valentine's Day...

_You finally gave into your fantasies..._

I felt guilty all night because I was with Dan but all I could think about was Leo.

_Exactly. You love him. But instead of doing anything about it you've been wasting your time debating back and forth and letting Phoebe cast spells to help guide your heart. And every single time you've come to the same conclusion. You just don't want to admit it._

Well...yeah. I know. I...Well, you know. When we were fighting Litvack tonight I really thought I was going to die, and the first person I thought I'd never see again was...

_Leo. Yeah. **I** know. You, on the other hand, seem to be having a very difficult time with something so simple._

It's not simple. There are other people involved now. And what if Leo and I can't make it work? What if he gets his powers back? Or what if he never does and he starts to resent me for it?

_What if you live your entire life and at the end of it you have to say that you never gave true love a chance because you were too scared?_

Piper blinked at her reflection and then nodded slowly. Finally, she knew what she had to do.


	7. I Love You Always Forever

**Disclaimer**: I don't own _Charmed_ nor do I own anything related to Donna Lewis' song, "I Love You Always Forever." This could be set anywhere between the episodes "Chick Flick" and "Be Careful What You Witch For."

**Through the Years**

**Seven: I Love You Always Forever**

_Feels like, I'm standing in a timeless dream  
Of light mists, of pale amber rose  
Feels like, I'm lost in a deep cloud of heavenly scent  
Touching, discovering you _

Those days, of warm rains come rushing back to me  
Miles of windless, summer night air  
Secret moments, shared in the heat of the afternoon  
Out of the stillness, soft spoken words 

-Donna Lewis, "I Love You Always Forever"

The alarm began to beep repetitively, and Piper groaned, burying her face into Leo's chest. "Ugh," she moaned, flailing her arm in an attempt to smack the clock and switch it off.

"What's going on?" muttered Leo. "I thought it was Sunday."

"It is," said Piper. Her hand found the button and she switched it off, finally killing the annoying sound. "I must have forgotten to shut it off last night."

"Okay, good," said Leo. He sighed and rolled onto his side, his arms wrapping around her stomach and pulling her in against him. Piper smiled contentedly, and immediately felt sleep returning to claim her again. Just as her breathing began to even out, though, there was a loud knock on the door.

"Piper?" said Prue.

"Ignore her," whispered Leo, kissing the back of her head.

"I am," said Piper.

"Piper?" said Prue again. "I heard your alarm go off. Are you up?"

"She'll go away," said Piper.

"Look, I just want to know if I can borrow your car. I told Phoebe she could take mine, but that was before I knew about this job I have to do today."

Piper sighed loudly and opened her eyes. "Yeah, Prue," she yelled. "You can take my car."

"What did you say?" asked Prue.

"She can hear your alarm go off but she can't hear that?" asked Leo.

Resigned to the fact that she wouldn't be sleeping in, Piper started to move away to get up and answer the door. Leo's arms tightened around her middle, though, and he groaned. "Where are you going?"

"To answer Prue," said Piper. "I'll be right back." Climbing out of bed, Piper walked to the door and opened it up. Prue smiled at her, but Piper just shook her head. "Yes, Prue," she said. "You can take my car."

"You're the best," said Prue. She leaned in and gave Piper a hug, which Piper refused to return on mere principle, and then turned and left. Piper shut the door behind her and turned around to find Leo lying on his back in the middle of the bed.

"Is she gone?" he asked.

"Yes," said Piper. She went back to the bed and looked down at her boyfriend, slightly aggravated that he still looked calm enough to sleep.

"Good," said Leo. "Come back to bed."

"I'm too awake now," said Piper. She knelt down on the side of the mattress and began to crawl towards him, determined to wake him up before something else did. Swinging her right leg over him, Piper straddled Leo and leaned down to kiss him. "Rise and shine," she said.

Leo's hands drifted up to her hips, and he slipped his thumbs beneath the waistband of her pajamas, stroking her skin lightly. "It's only eight o'clock," he said.

"I know," said Piper, kissing his mouth and then his chin. In response, Leo's right hand slipped around to her back and then down to her ass, squeezing it lightly.

"We really don't sleep in often enough," said Leo. Ignoring him, Piper kissed her way up his jaw line to his earlobe, which she tucked into her mouth and sucked. His hands tightened their grip on her, pushing her down, as he raised his hips into her.

"Well part of you is awake," said Piper, laughing lightly.

Without warning, Leo rolled over so she was pinned under him, and finally opened his eyes. "You win," he said.

"I usually do," said Piper, trying to maintain composure with Leo's hand working its way up her shirt.

"I think that's a good thing," said Leo. He leaned down and kissed her, hard, and Piper responded thoroughly. Maybe waking up early wasn't so bad after all.


	8. It Must Have Been Love

**A/n:** I'm very sorry that this chapter took me so long to get up. Clearly my original timetable for this story is out the window, but I do intend to finish it (hopefully soon). Truthfully this chapter gave me a lot of trouble, but finally looking at it from a different point of view clear my writer's block. I hope you all enjoy this short but sweet chapter.

_Katie_

**Disclaimer**: I don't own _Charmed_ nor do I own anything related to Roxette's song, "It Must Have Been Love." This takes place after "Magic Hour."

**Through the Years**

**Eight: It Must Have Been Love**

_Make believing we're together  
That I'm sheltered by your heart  
But in and outside I turn to water  
Like a teardrop in your palm  
_

_And it's a hard winter's day  
I dream away..._

_It must have been love, but it's over now  
It was all that I wanted, now I'm living without  
It must have been love, but it's over now  
It's where the water flows, it's where the wind blows_

-Roxette, "It Must Have Been Love"

Leo wrenched open his eyes with some effort, but the bright white light sent a lightening bolt of pain straight through his head, so he shut them tightly once again. He had never felt this badly in his entire life. His head pounded; his muscles ached; movement seemed unlikely to ever occur again. He hadn't felt this awful since he was alive.

"Just lie still, Leo," someone said. The voice was brazenly familiar, but for a moment Leo couldn't place it. Even thinking seemed to take effort. Then, when she spoke again, Leo realized it was his good friend Natalie.

"I don't know what they did to you," she said, and he felt a cool hand rest on his forehead.

"Can't you heal me?" Leo whispered. The words came unwillingly from the only strength that seemed to remain with him and his voice rasped as though it didn't want to be bothered with the strain of talking.

"That's against the rules," said Natalie. She sounded, though, as if there was ever a time to break the rules, this would be it. Leo knew, of course, that _wanting_ to break the rules wouldn't mean Natalie ever would.

"You've been out cold for two days now," she continued. "You really must not have wanted to come back Up Here."

Two days? Piper must be frantic. Unless they had done something to her as well. But no–they wouldn't have–would they? "Piper?" rasped Leo desperately, willing Natalie to understand.

"She's fine," said Natalie. "The Elders put a different Whitelighter in charge for now. They want to see you as soon as you're well enough to stand up."

Leo shook his head, unable to understand why the Elders didn't simply heal him if they wanted to speak with him. Why put him through this torture?

"What were you doing anyway?" asked Natalie. Her voice dropped to a whisper and he felt her come closer to his face, her breath warm on his cheek. "There are rumors going around that you tried to _marry_ a Charmed One."

"Piper," Leo said again, annoyed that Natalie refused to call her by her name. He knew that she knew exactly which of his charges he was involved with and he knew that she was not saying Piper's name on purpose.

"Yes. Her. It's not true, is it, Leo?"

"'t's true," he said. "Love her."

"It doesn't matter if you _love her_," said Natalie, wholehearted disgust evident in her tone. "Leo, you can't go down this path. It won't end well."

"I'll clip..." Leo began.

"_Clip your wings_?" said Natalie incredulously. "It's not worth it, Leo."

"Is."

Natalie sighed and clasped one of his hands, squeezing it in a friendly manner. He knew that she was trying to comfort him in her own way. He also knew that she didn't quite understand why he was willing to give everything up for Piper and never would be able to understand it. They'd had the argument before and it seemed likely that they would have it again.

"The Elders won't let you," she said after a moment.

"Can't...stop me."

Natalie snorted. "They're the Elders. They can do whatever they want. And they can stop you from doing what you want. They'll stop you from being with her. You'll see."

Leo shook his head, unwilling to agree; unwilling to admit the possibility that he might never see Piper again.

"It's over now, Leo," she said. She sighed again. "We shouldn't be talking about this now. I should let you rest. You're not well."

He felt a light brush of her lips against his cheek and then she was gone from his side. Alone, he drifted away from consciousness again, the thought of Piper still burning in his mind.


	9. Second Chance

**A/n:** This chapter took on a life of its own. I never expected it to turn out this way, and, in fact, this wasn't even the missing scene I originally intended to write. I was going to do something fluffy after "We All Scream for Ice Cream," but "Sleuthing with the Enemy" wriggled its way into my head and I came up with this, which is not remotely fluffy. I do hope you all enjoy though.

_Katie_

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Charmed_ nor do I own anything related to Trisha Yearwood's song, "Second Chance." This takes place after Phoebe fakes Cole's vanquish in "Sleuthing with the Enemy," but before the final scene where Phoebe, Piper and Prue talk in the morning.

**Through the Years**

**Nine: Second Chance**

_Just when you think love is a distant dream  
Oh, fate give you wings_

_Just close your eyes  
Reach for the moment  
Before it slips by  
Here is your second chance  
Take it and fly_

-Trisha Yearwood, "Second Chance"

She, Phoebe and Prue had been uncharacteristically quiet on the car ride home that night. Phoebe, Piper was certain, because losing Cole–vanquishing Cole–had hurt more than she wanted to admit to either of her sisters. Prue because she wanted to say I told you so and was refraining on Phoebe's behalf. And Piper, of course, because she could think of nothing to say that would be more than inane chatter that no one wanted to hear.

When they arrived back at the manor, Piper barely murmured goodnight to her sisters before disappearing upstairs. The entire day had been exhausting and emotionally draining, and she really wanted nothing more than to collapse in her bed. To her surprise, though, when she entered her bedroom she found Leo already in bed staring pensively up at the ceiling. He had gone Up There to tell the Elders that they had vanquished Belthazor and she hadn't expected him to be home so soon. And from the look on his face, she knew instinctively that her excruciatingly long day was not over yet.

"Is Phoebe okay?" he asked quietly as Piper shut the door.

"Not really," said Piper, sitting on the edge of the bed and removing her shoes. "I mean, she had to vanquish her boyfriend. She's hurt, even if she doesn't want to admit it."

"Yeah."

Piper looked at him curiously for a moment; his tone was so detached, almost angry. Leo, though, simply continued to stare at the ceiling. Standing, she pulled her shirt over her head and threw it into the hamper in her closet.

"I'm sorry I yelled earlier," she said quietly, assuming it was the reason for Leo's mood. Sometimes, too often she expected, she lost her temper with Leo in the heat of the moment and blamed him unnecessarily. Tonight had been no exception, and perhaps it had been one time too many. "I know you didn't mean to heal Cole–I mean, I know you didn't know when you did–"

"It's against the rules," said Leo, a venom in the words of which she was slightly frightened. Calmly, she unfastened her bra and set it on top of her dresser, pulling out a tank top and pulling it over her head.

"You didn't know you were healing a demon," she said quietly. "And I know you didn't know, which is why I shouldn't have yelled."

"I'm not mad at you, Piper," said Leo, but his tone did nothing to convince her that he meant what he said. "I know you were stressed. I know you were worried. I could feel your emotions coming from you in waves."

"What?" said Piper, slightly alarmed. She knew, vaguely, that Leo had the ability to sense her and her sisters, to realize when they needed help and to know when and how to guide them, but she'd never really thought about exactly how much Leo knew. The idea made her feel slightly vulnerable.

Leo finally glanced at her. She was standing, frozen, wearing nothing but her underpants and the tank top, and holding her pants in one hand.

"Piper, I try to only read you when it's pressing, but there are times..." He sighed. "There are times," he repeated, "that I simply can't block what you're feeling. And I'm not sure if it's because I'm so acutely aware of you all the time or if it's because sometimes your feelings are so overwhelming that there's nothing I can do to block them. Maybe it's a combination."

Piper smiled slightly, appeased, and went to throw her pants in the hamper too. Then she crawled onto the bed, putting her bedtime ritual on hold to get to the bottom of what was bothering Leo. Sitting beside him, she clasped one of his hands in both of hers. "What's wrong then?" she asked.

"I'm just worried, Piper," said Leo, turning to face her. "I broke the rules tonight. I healed Cole when I wasn't supposed too, demon or no demon. The fact that he ended up being the very demon who's been trying to kill you for months was just the icing on top of the cake."

"Everything worked out," said Piper. "Cole–Belthazor–is gone. We're fine until the next demonic threat." She squeezed Leo's hand reassuringly. "How did you heal him anyway? I didn't know it was possible to heal demons."

"It's not," said Leo. "But I only healed part of him, so I think he must have been partially human." He sighed. "Maybe that's why Phoebe was able to fall in love with him so easily."

"Procreating with a demon," said Piper, wrinkling her nose. "I'm sure it's not half as fun as doing it with an angel." She grinned, the smile reaching her eyes, eager to be playful, to move past Leo's unnecessary guilt. Deep down she still wasn't quite convinced her anger at Leo wasn't somewhat responsible for his current state. Unfortunately, Leo didn't respond beyond a small smile.

"I'm worried about the Elders," he finally said, resuming his vigilant staring at the ceiling. "I'm worried about us."

"About us?" said Piper. "But we're doing fine. And you and I, our relationship, it had nothing to do with what happened tonight."

"It's not just about us," said Leo. Piper started in surprise, unconsciously drawing her hands away from his and prompting him to look at her again. "I mean, in the grand scheme of things it is about us. But the Elders aren't just concerned about my relationship with you. I went Up There tonight, to tell them that you vanquished Belthazor, but I also had to tell them about what I did. My mistake. They're worried that I'm too close to your sisters too. That I'm biased. That I'm too invested in the family."

"You're part of our family," said Piper vehemently. "What does that matter?"

"It does matter, Piper!" said Leo almost violently. He sat up for the first time, facing her fully and grasping her face in his hands. "Whitelighters aren't supposed to have families. We're not supposed to be emotionally attached to our charges the way I am to you. Hell, even the way I am to your sisters. I'm not supposed to feel your emotions unwillingly; I'm not supposed to let my feelings for you–for any of you–to cloud my judgement. And I did that tonight! I knew that I shouldn't heal Cole. I knew it! But Phoebe begged me and all I could think about was how scared she was, how much her heart was breaking. So I did it. I broke the rules. Again. And it wasn't for the best. It didn't help anyone. It just made things worse!"

"Leo," said Piper softly, tears unwillingly falling down her cheeks and onto his fingers.

"I don't want to lose you, Piper. I can't. Things may have worked out tonight, but I can't afford to make another mistake!"

Frantically, almost desperately, Piper grasped his t-shirt and pulled him to her, her lips meeting his in a violent kiss. Leo responded just as unrestrained, his hands moving to her back and pulling her as close to his body as he could.

"I won't let them take you from me again," Piper whispered against his lips. "I won't."

Leo kissed her again, just as harshly, then pulled her tank top over her head and threw it haphazardly across the room, followed immediately by his own shirt.

"We'll fight them," she whispered, as Leo's hand wandered to her right breast, grasping it firmly. She gasped into his mouth as he captured her lips again.

Pushing her back onto the bed, Leo hovered over her, his lips swollen and his eyes a dark, stormy blue. "We only have so many chances, Piper."

She opened her mouth to respond, to offer some encouragement, but Leo was frantically kissing her again, his hands traveling her body, moving swiftly to her underwear and pulling them off without hesitation.

"Promise me this isn't the end," she managed to say as he began kissing his way down her body. "Promise me you won't give up or give in. Please!"

His hands rested firmly on her hips, and he looked up at her. She was already trembling, awash with the intensity of the moment, but she managed to lock eyes with him, silently begging.

"I'll try harder," he said. "I'll be more careful. I promise."

Piper nodded, knowing he wasn't promising exactly what she wanted, but the best he could. For now, it was enough. They wouldn't go down without a fight, and that was all that mattered. And with that final thought, she gave herself over to Leo completely.


	10. At Last

**A/n: **I changed the format of this just a little. I decided to add the song lyrics at the beginning of each chapter instead of the recap blurb. I don't know why I didn't do this to begin with, but I like it much better.

I feel as though I'm back into the swing of this story now that I finished chapter eight. Hopefully I will continue updating it fairly quickly. Right now I'm alternating between this story and _Nothing I've Become_, the sequel to my Phoebe/Cole story _Alone, Eternally_. It feels like a nice balance for me, so I shouldn't get off track again.

Thank you all so much for the lovely reviews. I truly appreciate it.

_Katie_

**Disclaimer**: I don't own _Charmed_ nor do I own anything related to Etta James' song, "At Last." This takes place after the end of "Just Harried."

**Through the Years**

**Ten: At Last**

_At last my love has come along  
My lonely days are over  
And life is like a song  
At last the skies above are blue  
And my heart was wrapped up in clover  
The night I looked at you  
I found a dream that I can speak to  
A dream that I could call my own  
I found a thrill to press my cheek to  
A thrill that I have never known  
You smiled, and then the spell was cast  
And here we are in heaven  
And you are mine at last_

-Etta James, "At Last"

"What are you thinking about?" asked Leo, kissing the back of Piper's head. They were both in their bathrobes, curled up in a lawn chair together in the back yard. It was past three o'clock in the morning, but Leo felt absurdly awake. A calm had settled over him and he was perfectly content to stay outside with Piper looking at the stars forever.

"I'm thinking that I've never been this happy in my life."

Leo smiled and she sighed without strain. He believed what she said, not only because he felt the same, but also because for the first time since he had known Piper he could tell that there was not a tense bone in her body.

To say their wedding day had been perfect would have been a lie. Honestly, Leo couldn't have cared less about the pageantry and tradition of the wedding that Piper had been stressing about for weeks, but he knew it was immensely important to her. He had never been so angry with someone he cared about as he had been when Prue ran away on that motorcycle. Piper so rarely asked to be the center of attention in the family and the one time she should have unconditionally deserved it the moment had been ruined. So for her sake, he had been distressed about the carefully constructed ceremony being destroyed.

He would have been perfectly happy just to finish the ceremony with or without one of the bridesmaids, the cake, the decorations or anything else. All he wanted was to be bound to Piper officially, heart and soul. But those things had been important to Piper, perhaps too important, and she had left him there, heartbroken, to pick up the pieces.

But it all worked out in the end, he reminded himself, even better than they originally envisioned. He thought that the ceremony had been rather beautiful in the dark with only the light he provided and the wind-chimes as music. And he'd finally gotten exactly what he had wanted for so long. Piper was finally his wife.

They'd found themselves alone after the ceremony fairly quickly. Patty and Grams, of course, had had to leave almost immediately and Darryl had ducked out after congratulations and a short discussion with Prue. Then, somewhat apologetically, Prue had come up and explained that since she was the reason Leo and Piper had lost their hotel reservation for the night (they were supposed to check in by ten), she and Phoebe were going to spend the night at Victor's and leave the couple by themselves. Only Cole seemed disappointed; he shimmered out soon after Phoebe told him where she was going.

Prue, Phoebe and Victor were the last to leave, right after the girls had changed out of their bridesmaid dresses. As they were headed out the door, Phoebe pressed a cased CD into Piper's hand. "I know you didn't have a song picked out," she said. Then added, "The CD player should run on batteries if you can find some."

But the CD, along with everything that had happened earlier in the day, had been pushed out of his mind once he was finally alone with Piper. Now he wondered just what song Phoebe had picked out for them.

As if she was reading his mind (which he felt was quite possible this night of all nights), Piper suddenly said, "There's one thing I really wanted to do today that we didn't."

"Hmm," said Leo. "What's that?"

"A first dance," said Piper, turning awkwardly in his embrace to look into his eyes. "A first dance as husband and wife." She grinned as she said the words and Leo's heart swelled. Impulsively, he leaned in and kissed her.

"Well?" she said a minute later, after they'd surfaced for air.

"Do we have any batteries?"

Piper smiled. "I'll get them," she said. "And the CD." She stood and walked inside, and Leo followed. As she went into the hall to get what she needed, Leo took the CD player from the living room and brought it into the conservatory. It seemed the appropriate place; Piper had told him it was where they shared their first kiss under the influence of the truth spell. And there was more than enough room.

"I hope this doesn't take any more than three batteries," said Piper, entering the room, "because that's all we have."

Leo popped open the lid to the battery compartment. "Only two," he said, holding out his hand for the batteries.

"Perfect," said Piper, handing them to him. She opened the CD case while he put in the batteries and a moment later they had the CD in the player, ready to go. Piper turned it on and pressed play and after a few seconds the orchestration of "At Last" began.

"Oh," said Piper, turning to Leo. She was smiling, but her eyes looked teary. Leo held out a hand to her.

"Dance with me," he said, and Piper nodded and put her hand in his. Immediately he drew her close to his body, and they began to sway slowly around the room in time to the music.

"I probably should have put on shoes," said Piper, glancing up and him.

"Sorry," Leo joked, "I can't hear you down there."

Piper gave him a glare that quickly turned into a smile and playfully swatted his arm. "I can't help that I'm short."

"You can when you wear high heels," said Leo, and before she could respond he bent down– it really was far–and kissed her.

As they kissed they stopped dancing, and Piper wrapped her arms around his neck. Taking advantage of the moment, Leo straightened up, picking her up as he went so he was holding her. Piper gave a small squeal, mostly into his mouth and Leo broke the kiss for a moment. "Won't strain my back this way," he said with a smile.

"Oh be quiet," said Piper softly, then kissed him again. Vaguely, Leo was aware of the song ending, but it seemed distant. All that he knew at that moment was Piper: his arms supporting her weight; her hands wrapped around his neck, playing with his hair; her lips on his. In that moment, she was the whole world.

Piper pulled away slowly, her brown eyes dark and deep. "Good song," she said softly.

"Remind me to thank Phoebe sometime," said Leo, and Piper nodded. "And," he added, lowering her back to the floor, "remind me to take you dancing more often."

At this, Piper grinned, took him by the hand, and led him upstairs.


	11. Stop Crying Your Heart Out

**A/n:** For me the truly obvious choice at this point in the story would be to delve into the stuff that happened after Prue died. Honestly, though, I don't think a one shot would do it justice, so I'm going to write a longer story about the effect of Prue's death on the family after I finish this story. Instead I chose one episode in season four to focus on for this chapter, even though this part of the story technically covers all of the episodes in season four.

On another note, I am changing the name of this story. I've never liked the title; it was something I came up with on the spur of the moment. After a year and a half, I'm changing it to "Through the Years." I'll make this change when I post chapter twelve; this is simply a note that it's going to happen.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own _Charmed_ nor do I own anything related to Oasis' song, "Stop Crying Your Heart Out." This takes place during "The Fifth Halliwell" after Piper and Leo have their tryst in P3.

**Through the Years**

**Eleven: Stop Crying Your Heart Out**

_'Cause all of the stars are fading away  
Just try not to worry you'll see them some day  
Take what you need and be on your way  
And stop crying your heart out_

_'Cause all of the stars are fading away  
Just try not to worry you'll see them some day  
Take what you need and be on your way  
And stop crying your heart out_

_Get up... Come on... why you scared  
You'll never change what been and gone_

-Oasis, "Stop Crying Your Heart Out"

As far as first years of marriage went, Leo was pretty sure that his and Piper's had faced more obstacles than the status quo. He'd expected some trouble from the Elders, conflict about his work (both with the Charmed Ones and otherwise), maybe some tension as far as their living situation went. Piper, he thought, had been thinking along the same lines.

Those problems seemed so petty compared to what they had actually faced.

Now, in light of Prue's death, Piper's still ongoing depression, fighting the Source, and restructuring the family, he thought anything else would be easy. Almost inconsequential. Truthfully, he thought that all those so called petty problems would dissolve easily.

Apparently he was wrong.

Here he was, sitting on the floor of P3, having just had sex with the most beautiful woman in the world, and he felt like crap. The day had not been shaping up well to begin with; he'd woken up in a bad mood and it had only gotten worse as the day progressed. And it was all because of his stupid insecurities. They'd flooded back like demons from his past and possessed him again. He couldn't imagine a more inopportune time: things were finally getting back to normal; he and Piper were trying to conceive. He knew he should be ecstatic, but somehow he couldn't help letting these dark thoughts consume him.

He swallowed and looked over at Piper, who was in the process of pulling her shirt over her head. She was completely unaware of the battle raging inside of him, and part of him wanted her to remain ignorant. What right did he have to spoil her rare good mood? Before he could stop himself, though, the words tumbled out of his mouth. "Piper," he said, "do you ever wish I was more?"

"What are you talking about?" asked Piper, pulling her hair out from beneath her shirt. "Have you seen my belt?"

Leo ignored the latter question and answered the first instead. "I don't know," he said, somewhat aware that Piper was only half-listening as she hunted around for her missing belt. "Just, today, when Cole pulled up in that car...and those roses..." Leo sighed. "Sometimes I feel like I'm not...enough."

Piper halted in her search and turned her head, giving him such a worried, curious look that it made him slightly uncomfortable. Troubled, he averted his eyes towards the floor.

"How can you possibly think that?" she said. "Why would you think that?"

He shrugged and looked skyward for a moment before turning his gaze back to his wife. "I've never been able to afford things like that. Presents like that. I can't even give you a decent bouquet of flowers. And you deserve it, Piper. More than anyone I know, you deserve that kind of treatment. And I'll never be able to provide it."

"This is all because of Cole?" said Piper. She sounded incredulous, and Leo couldn't help but be slightly annoyed by her tone.

"Yes—no…I don't know. God, Piper. He's paying for our honeymoon. Doesn't that bother you?"

Piper shook her head, looking more concerned than she had before, and started to crawl towards him. When she was finally right in front of him, she took his face in both of her hands and said in a somewhat shaky voice, "Listen to me. Roses are beautiful, and Portias are flashy, and Cole may be raking in the big bucks now, enough to shower Phoebe with everything she's ever desired, but who cares? You are the most amazing, caring man I've ever known, and you love me, which is more than I deserve, Leo. Trust me."

"Piper..."

"No," she said. "If I wanted big, expensive presents, I'd be with someone else. That's not what I want. I'm not sure I've ever wanted that. What I do want is someone who isn't afraid to bare his soul to me in a Valentine's Day card. Someone who doesn't give up on our relationship, no matter what happens. Someone who will be there to hold me through whatever is going on in my life. You're my rock, Leo. There is no way I could have survived this year without you. And I don't want to spend my life with anyone but you. Period."

Leo nodded, slowly. He knew, he could feel with every fiber of his being, that she meant every word she said. And he knew that at the end of the day the things he could provide her were really what would let their relationship survive. But at the same time, he still wished he could show her how much he loved her in other ways. Just once, he wanted to be able to buy her dinner or flowers or jewelry. That wasn't going to happen as long as he remained a Whitelighter, though. Of course, knowing the reality of the situation didn't mean that it still wouldn't bother him once in awhile.

But he couldn't let Piper see it again. She had enough problems without him harping on something he couldn't change about himself.

"I love you," he said quietly. Piper smiled.

"I love you too," she said. She leaned in and kissed him, long and softly. "Now," she said. "Help me find my belt."


	12. Oh How the Years Go By

**A/n: **I'm afraid to look at the date of the last time I updated this story. I know it's been way too long. And for that I apologize profusely.

This chapter marks the halfway point in this story; twelve down, twelve to go. It also marks a turning point in the stories, since everything after this takes place from "Oh My Goddess" and beyond in the show. That means, of course, a lot more angst and a lot less fluff.

I hope you enjoy this last chapter before the turning point. It was one of the first stories I drafted in this project. Thank you all for the fantastic reviews. I really, really appreciate the feedback, particularly for the last chapter. I was nervous about that one, and I'm glad it went over well.

_Katie_

**Disclaimer**: I don't own _Charmed_ nor do I own anything related to Amy Grant's song, "Oh How the Years Go By." This takes place right after "Witch Way Now?"

**Through the Years**

**Twelve: Oh How the Years Go By**

_There were times we stumbled  
They thought they had us down  
But we came around  
How we rolled and rambled  
We got lost and we got found  
Now were back on solid ground _

_We took everything  
All our times would bring  
In this world of dangers  
'Cause when your heart is strong  
You know you're not alone  
In this world of strangers_

_And oh how the years go by  
And oh how the love brings tears to my eyes  
All through the changes the soul never dies  
We fight, we laugh, we cry  
As the years go by_

-Amy Grant, "Oh How the Years Go By"

The door opened quietly and Leo arched an eyebrow in surprise when he saw Piper sitting on the edge of the bed. He hadn't expected her to still be awake; it was nearly four in the morning. Earlier, right before he'd had to leave, she had wanted to talk, but he hadn't thought it would be so urgent that it couldn't wait until the morning. Without voicing his surprise, he shut the door and leaned back against it.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey."

They paused awkwardly, but Leo wasn't sure he should break the silence. Piper obviously wanted to talk, and he was fairly certain he knew what the subject would be, but he wanted to wait for her to broach the subject.

Finally, she looked up at him and said, "How'd it go? With your charge, I mean."

Leo shrugged. It had been a bad night. A witch, new to her powers, had had an altercation with a demon and it had been a close call. Normally, he could shake the feeling off as soon as he saw Piper, but they were now only two weeks away from the date Prue had died. Somehow seeing the woman lying on the floor, quickly bleeding to death, had shaken him in a way he hadn't expected. He'd scarcely had time to heal her and all he could think about was how nearly a year ago he had lost Prue.

He wasn't going to tell Piper that though. The past two days had been hard enough for her without him bringing his personal demons into the picture.

"It ended well," he finally said. Piper nodded absentmindedly and looked down at her hands.

Leo took a deep breath, trying to extend his patience. After a bad night and an especially stressful two days at home he wanted nothing more than to go to sleep and forget everything. Piper's reluctance to bring up whatever subject had her up this late was frustrating, and he had to restrain himself from demanding she just spit it out.

"How are you?" he asked after a moment, attempting to coax her into action.

It was Piper's turn to shrug. "I…I'm…" She sighed. "I really don't know how I am," she said.

"You wanted to give up your powers," said Leo. "I guess you're upset that majority ruled, right?" He flinched as soon as the words were out of his mouth; they sounded much harsher than he had intended. Piper, however, didn't seem to notice.

"I don't know," she said. "I did want to get rid of them. I wanted to wash my hands of this whole thing. Especially now." She looked up at him and he wasn't surprised to see tears in her eyes. They were tears of anger and frustration and he'd seen them so many times in the past year that he almost expected them. "Did he purposely wait until two weeks before it's been a year? How could I possibly be objective about this now?"

Leo crossed the room without thinking about it and sat down next to Piper, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. Her head fell towards his chest without effort and he ran his fingers through her hair, trying to bring her some sort of comfort.

"I thought you'd been fed up with your powers for a long time now," he said.

"Sometimes," she said. "But…well, I found out something else today and now I think that maybe it's better that we kept them." She pulled back from him and gave him a shaky smile. He returned it, albeit somewhat more puzzled.

"Leo," she said, "I'm pregnant."

The words hit him so forcefully that any vestige of exhaustion seemed to flee from his body. His smile grew huge as she studied his face and he laughed. "Really?" he said. "You're sure?"

Piper nodded, laughing and crying at the same time. "Yeah," she said. "The angel implied it this morning and then I took a test this afternoon. Phoebe and Paige already know. I made them promise not to tell you."

"You're pregnant," Leo said, barely hearing her words. The revelation was so stunning, so unequivocally joyful that he almost felt dizzy. He leaned in and kissed Piper three times in quick succession. "You're pregnant," he said again.

"Yeah," said Piper. "I think we've established that much. I'm going to call the doctor tomorrow, so be prepared for an appointment sometime next week. And don't think you can get out of it."

Leo reached out with his right hand and tentatively touched her stomach, half-expecting the baby to react, even though he knew it was much too soon. Somehow the entire thing seemed as though it belonged in someone else's life. Someone who had experienced a lot less heartache. He hadn't felt this happy since his wedding day and he was startled by how foreign the emotion felt. After being buried in grief for so long it was a welcome relief.

"You know," said Piper, "I was so upset about the timing of this whole angel business. And all I've been able to think about since this month began is Prue's death." She swallowed, and her smile faltered just a little. "Not even Prue," she said. "Just her death. It's so morbid. But when I found out today and started to think about it…I mean, don't you think that the timing might be a sign? A sign that it's time to actually try to be happy again."

"I think that wherever Prue is she's watching and she knows about this. And she would be ecstatic about being an aunt." Piper closed her eyes and nodded, but he could tell she was trying not to cry again. "She doesn't want us to be sad, Piper. She doesn't want you to be sad. Especially now."

"It's been so hard," whispered Piper. "I can't stop missing her."

"You never will," said Leo. "But it's like you said. This baby is something to celebrate. Maybe it did happen now for a reason. Maybe it happened now so we can think about something else this month."

Piper nodded and finally opened her eyes, wiping them quickly with the back of her hand. Leo leaned in and kissed her again, more slowly. When he pulled away, Piper said, "I know it's early. Absurdly early. But I was thinking…instead of Melinda, could we name her Prudence?"

Leo smiled and took hold of Piper's hands, squeezing them. "I think that's perfect."

Piper smiled back at him. "Yeah," she said. "It is perfect."

And for once, it really was.


	13. Don't Speak

**A/n: **Thank you all so much for the reviews. I'm glad you enjoyed the previous chapter and that the new title works.

Like season four, I did not devote a lot of fiction in this work to season five. However, I've been considering for awhile writing a work that deals primarily with Piper and Leo during season five. If I do write that piece it will not be for awhile, though.

This was one of the first songs I found for this project. It's also one of my favorite picks in the entire project.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own _Charmed_ nor do I own anything related to No Doubt's song, "Don't Speak." This chapter takes place during "Oh My Goddess," right after Piper vanquishes the Titans up through when she goes Up There to talk to Leo.

**Through the Years**

**Thirteen: Don't Speak**

_It's all ending  
I gotta stop pretending who we are.  
You and me: I can see us dying. Are we? _

Don't speak  
I know just what you're saying  
So please stop explaining  
Don't tell me 'cause it hurts 

_  
Don't speak  
I know what you're thinking  
I don't need your reasons  
Don't tell me 'cause it hurts  
Don't tell me 'cause it hurts_

-No Doubt, "Don't Speak"

It hurts.

The pain is in the pit of her stomach; a tight, fiery ball that burns so intensely that it's spreading through her entire body. She can feel it radiating down her legs, curling the tips of her toes in agony. She can feel it spreading up through her chest and down her arms, culminating in the uncontrollable use of these powers that aren't hers but feel as though they are. She can feel it surge up into her head; right into her brain where it causes her thoughts to come sporadically and without cohesion.

It hurts, hurts, hurts so badly she can scarcely breath.

She wants to destroy everything.

Everything.

Because she hurts, hurts, hurts so badly that everything and everybody else in the world needs to hurt as much as she does.

Mostly she wants to find IT and rip off ITs face. Spit on IT and mash her foot into IT and blow IT up. Destroy IT so utterly that nothing will remain. So IT will suffer, just as she is now.

The problem is that IT is incomprehensible. She can't rip ITs face off because IT doesn't have a face. She can't destroy IT because she has no idea how to find IT. But oh if she could. If she only could…

She chokes on a scream that just won't release from her body because she hurts, hurts, hurts so badly that the scream can't escape. It's trapped in her lungs somewhere; a vise gripping it and holding it there.

This pain has been building as a tight, fiery ball for so long that it has finally taken over her body and she has lost all control. She felt it form that day she woke up heard _I can't heal the dead_ and turned and saw her sister's body on the floor. She felt it grow and grow and grow as the year went on. She felt it catch fire the day her other sister chose evil over family. And it never went away. It just stayed forever present, refusing to go, just waiting for the day when…

Oh, she hurts…

She thinks that if she can destroy IT, the faceless, horrible thing that has been slowly ruining her life, then maybe the pain will finally, finally, finally go away.

If she can only figure out where IT is hiding…what IT looks like…

IT can't be fate or destiny. She can't believe that her sister was destined to die or that her husband was destined to leave and that any of this is fucking destiny anymore because she's forgotten when the hell that's even supposed to mean. Because before anything happened fucking destiny was marrying Leo and loving him forever and never losing him. So IT can't be destiny. IT can't.

But what is IT?

She has to know. She has to destroy IT before IT destroys her.

Because the pain, it hurts, hurts, hurts so badly that it's killing her from the inside out.

Why would he leave? Why would he leave? Why would he leave? Why would he leave? She asks herself this again and again. The question continually plays through her head and if she can only find the answer then maybe she can discover what IT is. There has to be a reason. He wouldn't just chose to leave. He wouldn't, he wouldn't. Because he's _never_ chosen to leave. He's always picked her. Always, always, always…

All she has to do is find the answer.

She wants to find him. She wants to ask him, _why would you leave?_ and hear his answer and know that it's not a choice and it's not destiny. No. He's leaving because IT is forcing him to and once he tells her what IT is she can destroy IT with her own two hands and bring him home.

But what if he doesn't know?

No, that doesn't make sense. Of course he knows. He has to know because he's the one who is leaving and you don't just leave without knowing why you're leaving, right? There's a reason. There is something other than him because he has never hurt her like she hurts, hurts, hurts right now. IT is the only thing that has caused this pain before so IT is what is causing the pain now.

And then, somewhere in her mind the unbidden though comes: _but what if he did choose to leave?_

She can't hear that. She can't hear him say that it was his choice because then there's nothing left. She won't be able to destroy the pain because the pain is him and she can't destroy him because she loves him. She'll be trapped in a paradox while the pain slowly kills her and there will be nothing she can do to stop it.

It's not a choice. It's not, it's not, it's not, it's not, it's not, it's not, it's not, it's not…

It is. The words are coming out of his mouth and it is a choice and the pain is so intense that it claws into her heart and destroys it so completely that she knows it will never be whole again.

She's dead.

And it still hurts.

**

* * *

A/n: **This chapter veers away from the style of the previous chapters of this story for a few reasons. It took me a long time to come up with a concept for this chapter because my instinct was to do something after "Oh My Goddess." Since the writers forced Piper into that painless bubble at the end of the season, though, I didn't think I could get into the true feelings of the character. So it took me quite awhile to think of a moment in the series that I could place a story about Piper's pain. 

Once I solved the setting problem I had to figure out a way to have Piper express herself believably. Since she is so distraught during the last few scenes of "Oh My Goddess," I thought that her thoughts would make more sense if they weren't completely coherent. When I began writing in this manner I attempted to keep up the past tense usage from the previous chapters, but I kept inadvertently slipping into present tense. So I went back and changed the entire chapter into present tense. I hope that this chapter isn't so out there that it doesn't fit with the rest of the story.

IT can be whatever you like. I personally think of IT as the writers since they caused this whole mess, but feel free to apply whatever idea you'd like.

I really hope you enjoyed this chapter. Reviews are cherished keepsakes.

_Katie_


	14. Sand and Water

**A/n: **This is a very short chapter, but I hope you all still enjoy it.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own _Charmed_ nor do I own anything related to Beth Nielson Chapman's song, "Sand and Water." This takes place sometime after "Valhalley of the Dolls."

**Through the Years**

**Fourteen: Sand and Water**

_All alone I didn't like the feeling,  
All alone I sat and cried,  
All alone I had to find some meaning  
In the center of the pain I felt inside. _

All alone I came into this world;  
All alone I will someday die.  
Solid stone is just sand and water, baby.  
Sand and water, and a million years gone by. 

-Beth Nielson Chapman, "Sand and Water"

In all the chaos and fighting about the wedding plans, it had been enormously gratifying the first time they had agreed on something. At the time, it had seemed so simple; one of those little things that signified a step in the right direction, even if everything else was so complicated. White gold wedding bands.

Leo thought they looked tasteful, she remembered. More so than the traditional gold, for some reason. She had wanted them because her engagement ring was white gold, as was most of her other jewelry. It was practical and made sense. And when they had agreed it had been like a weight lifting off of her shoulders. _We can get through these plans_, she had thought.

She really hadn't anticipated that less than three years later, the wedding rings would be causing her so much pain. More pain than a cake. A guest list. Flower arrangements. Who cared about any of that now? The cake had been ruined; the guests had left; the flowers died; but her ring, that was supposed to last forever.

How was she supposed to do this? It wasn't the kind of thing you imagined or foresaw. It wasn't even something anyone prepared you for. Should she do it all at once, like ripping off a band aid, or slowly, to try to dull the pain? _Phoebe did it_, she thought vaguely. _Mom did it. With the same engagement ring I'm wearing now_.

But it wasn't supposed to be like this. These rings were supposed to stay on her finger until the day she died, and then, maybe, someone could take them off to pass on to another family member.

It was strange how far distant and unreal her life had become. Her mother was dead. Her grandmother was dead. Her sister was dead. Her husband had _chosen_ to leave after years of fighting to be with her. She was raising a child by herself. Her other sisters were running further and further from the family. All around her people were living and dying and smiling and sobbing and dancing and praying, and here she was, sitting in a dark bedroom at eleven o'clock at night, thinking of the least painful way to remove her wedding ring.

"Okay," she said quietly, trying to clear her mind. "Real fast. It won't hurt." Shutting her eyes, she wrapped her fingers around both rings and pulled; up over her knuckles, past her fingernail, off into the palm of her right hand. When she opened her eyes, her ring finger was bare, with scarcely a tan line to indicate she'd been married. Slowly, she opened her right fist and looked at the rings lying in her palm, lonely and out of place.

Maintaining her composure better than she had expected, she opened her jewelry box and took out Leo's ring, which he had given to her when he had left. _Was it as hard for him to remove his?_ she wondered. She gathered all three rings together and picked up a ribbon, slipping it through the rings and tying it. Then she lay the rings in her jewelry box, and with one last glance, shut it.


	15. Here's to the Night

**A/n:** Thanks for the reviews, everyone! I hope you all continue to enjoy this story.

Also, some shameless self-promoting: I started a new story called "Coming Home." It's a holiday story that takes place in November/December 2006 and the entire theme of the story is family. I don't want to give away much of the plot, but I guarantee lots of Piper/Leo moments. Check it out, if you have the time or inclination.

Thanks for all the support. You all are awesome!

_Katie_

**Disclaimer**: I don't own _Charmed _nor do I own anything related to Eve 6's song, "Here's to the Night." This takes place after Piper and Leo are rescued, but before Piper finds out that Chris is her son in "The Courtship of Wyatt's Father."

**Through the Years**

**Fifteen: Here's to the Night**

_All my time is froze in motion  
Can't I stay an hour or two or more?  
Don't let me let you go  
Don't let me let you go  
Here's a toast to all those  
Who hear me all too well _

_Here's to the nights we felt alive  
Here's to the tears you knew you'd cry  
Here's to goodbye, tomorrow's gonna come too soon _

-Eve 6, "Here's to the Night"

There was a soft knock on the door and Piper desperately wanted to ignore it. She felt as though she had just gone to sleep ten minutes ago, though she could sense without even opening her eyes that dawn had broke. Nothing good could come from a visit from someone at daybreak.

Unfortunately, the person outside of the door didn't read her mind, and she heard the door creak open and someone stepped into the room. Piper tried to steady her breathing, praying that Phoebe or Paige would go away and leave her alone, but then she heard Leo whisper her name, and every nerve in her body was on tenterhooks. Slowly, she rolled over and opened her eyes.

"Hi," said Leo. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other nervously and Piper bit her lip.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I wanted to say goodbye," said Leo.

"Didn't we do that last night?"

"I…" Leo trailed off. He looked so sad, so lost, that it created a strange ambivalence in Piper. Part of her wanted to gather him in her arms and comfort him; another part wanted to shake him in anger. She decided instead to remain where she was.

He sighed. "We're really doing this, right?" he asked.

"Doing what?" asked Piper, feigning ignorance.

"Quitting," whispered Leo.

Unwillingly, tears rushed to Piper's eyes and she fought a losing battle to keep them from falling. "You're the one who quit," she hissed. "You…you left! That's quitting Leo! What was I supposed to do?"

"I didn't want to," said Leo. Somehow he sounded quieter than ever, though she wasn't quite sure how that was possible. "I became an Elder. I didn't have a choice."

"Shut up!" said Piper, her voice rising in opposition to Leo's. "You did have a choice! You chose to leave! Why? Just tell me why!"

Leo's mouth opened and closed, saying something, but it was spoken so softly Piper couldn't understand. "What are you saying?" she begged, crawling across the bed towards him. She clutched the front of his shirt and pulled him down onto the bed. "What are you saying?"

There was no verbal response; just the same silent mouthing.

Piper leaned into his chest, sobbing now. She clung to him, loving him and hating him all at once. Why wouldn't he just tell her why?

"I don't want to put you at risk. I don't want to put Wyatt at risk," Leo finally spoke again, echoing his words from the previous night.

Piper looked up at him. "That's not what I asked," she said. "That's why you're leaving now. But I want to know why you left the first time. Why did you choose the Elders?"

Leo shook his head, silent once again.

"You still love me," said Piper.

"Yes," said Leo. "More than anything."

The room spun around Piper, more and more quickly until it was nothing but a blur in the background. She stared straight into Leo's eyes, letting them anchor her. Pleading with them not to cut her off into the vortex that now surrounded them.

"You never stopped loving me," said Piper, repeating his words from the night before.

"I never will," said Leo. "You're my life, Piper."

"But you left. You left. There must be a reason."

"Don't look away," said Leo. "Don't get lost."

"Leo," she said. "Leo, I love you too. If I ask you…"

"Ask me what?" asked Leo.

"If I ask you to stay, will you?"

"Don't look away," said Leo again.

"I know I asked you the first time," she said. "When we were Up There. And you said you couldn't, but you wouldn't tell me the reason. You still won't tell me the reason. But this time…you told me why you're leaving this time."

"I have to protect you," said Leo, as if on cue.

"Yes. But Leo, if you gave it up, we'd all be safe. We'd be a family. Would you do it? Would you give up being an Elder if I asked you to?"

Leo didn't respond; he simply continued to stare into her eyes, as though silently begging her to understand something she couldn't. Piper shook him, hard. She felt so frustrated. "Answer me!" she demanded. "Why won't you answer me?"

Suddenly she felt two different hands clamp down on her shoulders. Somehow she knew that it was Phoebe and Paige, though she refused to look away from Leo. He had told her not to look away. She had to trust him.

"Piper," said Phoebe on her left. "Piper, you have to let him go. It's time to move on."

"Shut up, Phoebe!" shrieked Piper. "You don't know anything! You give up! That's how you are! But I don't want to! I won't!"

"Piper, you can't be the only one who's holding on," said Paige. "If Leo wants to go, you have to let him. You can't hold him against your will."

"He wants to stay!" said Piper. "He does!"

"Did he say that?" asked Phoebe.

"He can't," said Piper. "But he wants to. Leo, please. Tell them you want to stay. Tell them you're not going to quit! You're not going to leave!"

Leo stubbornly refused to speak.

"See, Piper," said Paige.

"Leo," said Piper. "I can't do it without you. I can't fight without you. If you just tell me that you'll make an effort. That you'll try! Please. Please. Just give me anything, and I swear, I'll go to the end of the earth and back!"

"Come on, Piper," said Phoebe. Piper felt both hands tighten on her shoulders. "It's time to let go."

"Leo…Please…"

"I just came to say goodbye," said Leo.

"Please…"

To her left she heard a baby crying, but somehow she knew it wasn't Wyatt. But why? Who was the baby and why was it here? Why was it crying?

"Goodbye," said Leo.

The baby continued to cry and no one was doing anything about it. Instinctively, Piper looked to the left, trying to find the baby, but all she could see were the colors spinning and spinning and spinning. She looked back, trying to find Leo again, but he wasn't there. And somehow Paige and Phoebe were gone and she was alone and the baby was getting louder and louder.

"No!" screamed Piper, and she sat straight up in bed, gasping for breath. The room was still and very dark. There was no baby, no sister, no Leo. It had been a dream. A horrible nightmare.

Piper stayed upright in bed, breathing heavily, for a long time. The dream stayed with her in fragments, but she didn't understand what it meant. Leo was leaving, but she didn't want him to. That was nothing unusual; nothing that she hadn't dreamt a hundred times before. But this time something had been different. He had been trying to tell her something, but he couldn't. Something was preventing him from telling her.

What if it was true? What if she called him right now and asked him to stay? Would he?

Piper ran a hand through her hair and sighed loudly. What was she thinking? Leo wasn't going to stay. He was leaving. He was gone already. And he wasn't coming back. They had finally said goodbye and he had finally given her some sort of reason. Why was she trying to set herself up for more pain? Last night was it. Forever. They had said goodbye and they weren't going back. She knew that now.

It was just a dream. A crazy dream. It didn't mean anything.

Somewhat calmer, Piper lay back down in her bed, pulling the covers up to her chin and breathing deeply. She was going to be okay. She'd survived Leo leaving once already. She had survived Prue dying. She could survive this too.

Just as she was drifting to sleep again, she suddenly remembered the crying baby and her eyes opened again. Who was the baby and why couldn't she see it? It didn't seem to fit with the rest of the dream. It made even less sense than anything else.

"It was just a dream," she repeated out loud, trying to reassure herself.

Just a dream.


	16. Beautiful Goodbye

**Disclaimer**: I don't own _Charmed_ nor do I own anything related to Amanda Marshall's song, "Beautiful Goodbye." This picks up right where the Piper/Leo scene at the end of the episode, "A Wrong Day's Journey into Right," leaves off.

**Through the Years**

**Sixteen: Beautiful Goodbye**

_In these days of no regrets  
I keep mine to myself  
And all the things we never said  
I can say for someone else  
'Cause nothing lasts forever, but we always try  
And I just can't help but wonder why  
We let it pass us by _

When I see you now  
I wonder how  
I could've watched you walk away  
If I let you down  
Please forgive me now  
For that beautiful goodbye 

-Amanda Marshall, "Beautiful Goodbye"

Piper twisted her hands together and looked down at them, trying to focus on anything other than Leo. Six weeks had passed since he had first come back; since he had found out the truth about Chris. She had been waiting for him to simply disappear again, but apparently he had no intention of going anywhere. As each day passed, she became more convinced that she had to ask the question that had been plaguing her for months. Perhaps now…

She opened her mouth to speak the words she had been longing to say, but then chickened out. Instead she asked, "Do you think about that night at all?" Well, it was a start at least, she supposed.

"All the time," said Leo, and she smiled, thankful her hair was acting like a drape so Leo couldn't see. "I've missed you."

Shaking her head slightly, Piper didn't respond, battling the war of emotions going on within her: her residual anger at Leo for leaving in the first place; the guilt she felt for not trying harder to make him stay; the overwhelming sadness that she'd probably never have him again. Leo reached out and took one of her hands, turning it over so it was palm up.

"You know you talk with your hands?" asked Leo, his thumb running over her palm. "It was one of the first things I noticed about you. I always wanted to keep them still."

Suddenly, Piper couldn't stand the tension any longer. Leo could pretend things were normal all he wanted to, but she had to know the truth. She had to know whether or not she had made the right decision. "Would you have stayed if I had asked?" she said abruptly. As soon as the words were spoken, she sighed in relief. Now that the question was out there, maybe she'd finally find some peace.

"Piper—" said Leo. The tentative, tight way he spoke her name made something inside her snap, and she cut him off.

"You know," she said, feeling brave, "I debated back and forth for a long time about whether to tell you I was pregnant. But I always came to the same conclusion."

"What conclusion?"

Finally, Piper raised her head and looked at Leo again. His hand gripped onto hers, almost as though he knew she was going to pull it away. "I didn't want to tell you," she said, "because we finally had a goodbye, and I didn't want to ruin it. I didn't want to go through anything as miserable as the past year, ever again."

"Wha—"

"We've been ripped apart how many times now, Leo?" she asked. "Too many to count. But in my heart I never really let go. I never said goodbye. This time I did. I told myself it was going to be the end, finally. And then I found out that I was pregnant... The truth about Chris... And I was selfish. I didn't want to be hurt again by telling you and having to watch you leave."

There. The words were out. The truth was out. And her conscious felt clear for the first time in months.

Then Leo said, "You gave up on us?" To Piper's surprise, he sounded incredulous and she felt the slightest twinge of guilt before the feeling was replaced by anger.

"Didn't you?" she asked bitterly. "You were the one who left."

"I know," said Leo, "but I don't think I ever... It didn't mean..." He shook his head.

Piper sighed, temporarily releasing the anger she felt. "I didn't stop loving you," she said. "I've never stopped loving you. But I had to let go, Leo. I had to let myself believe that we had finally said goodbye, or else I would have gone crazy."

"But I did come back," said Leo. "I always come back."

Piper smiled sadly and shook her head. "Sometimes," she said, "I think that if I had tried harder, if I had wished harder, hoped harder, everything could have been different. You never would have left, because I wouldn't have let you. And I've felt guilty about it. Horribly guilty. Especially because I was keeping such a big secret on top of it, for completely selfish reasons."

"I wish you had told me," said Leo softly. He was clearly taking care to prevent her from feeling further guilt. She knew that in the past he had thought there were instances where she had unnecessarily punished herself. Could he be thinking the same thing now, even after what she had kept from him? "I thought about you, about that last night together all the time. But I thought I was doing the right thing. Wasn't I?"

"I don't know," said Piper honestly. "I struggled for a long time about whether I should have let you go. But would it even have made a difference? You're back, but nothing's changed."

"One thing has changed," said Leo. "That night isn't our real goodbye anymore. We'll have another one."

Piper snorted in disbelief. "Is that supposed to be comforting?" she asked.

"I don't know," said Leo. "Maybe it will give us the time to make things right. Maybe when we really do say goodbye, we can do it without any doubts, or any regrets."

"I don't want to lose you again," whispered Piper. "It's why I let go. And unless you promise me that we can be together again, I'm not sure I can let you back in. I'm not sure I can let myself miss you again."

Leo brought her hand up to his mouth and kissed her palm, before letting go and standing up. "I can't promise that," he said. "Not right now." And without another word, he orbed out, leaving Piper alone. Worst of all, he still had finally answered her question. He wouldn't have stayed, had she asked him.

**

* * *

A/n: **In a way, this chapter is a continuation of the previous chapter. The dream sequence was supposed to be a representation of all of Piper's doubts and regrets. This chapter follows as the reason she never acted on any of those doubts, and explains why she didn't want to tell Leo the truth (about the pregnancy/Chris). I think there will also be one more chapter that follows this theme; either chapter 17 or chapter 18. 

Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed!

_Katie_


	17. I Don't Know Much

**Disclaimer**: I don't own _Charmed_ nor do I own anything related to Linda Ronstadt's and Aaron Neville's song, "I Don't Know Much." I also don't own the itty bit of dialogue I borrowed from "Oh My Goddess Part 2" and "The Courtship of Wyatt's Father."

This takes place right after the end of the episode, "It's a Bad, Bad, Bad, Bad World Part 2."

The first italicized part is set during "Oh My Goddess Part Two," continuing the scene where Chris finds Leo mourning the Elders.

The second italicized part is set during "The Courtship of Wyatt's Father," continuing the scene where Piper finds out that Chris is her son.

**Through the Years**

**Seventeen: I Don't Know Much**

_Look at these eyes they never see what matters.  
Look at these dreams so beaten and so battered.  
I don't know much but I know I love you.  
That may be all I need to know. _

So many questions still left unanswered.  
So much I've never broken through.  
And when I feel you near me, sometimes I see so clearly.  
The only truth I'll ever know is me and you. 

-Linda Ronstadt and Aaron Neville, "I Don't Know Much"

Piper, looking beautiful and exhausted all at once, cradled Chris in her arms and smiled up at Leo. With some effort, she began to sit up in the bed and Leo instinctively leaned in to help her. Once she was settled, she patted the room she had made beside herself on the bed. For a moment, Leo hesitated, but then he climbed in next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Finally, the last of his defenses collapsed. "Piper," he said, "I'm really sorry."

"For what?" asked Piper as though she couldn't imagine about what he had to be sorry. She leaned back into his shoulder as though it were the most natural thing in the world and sighed contentedly. Leo shut his eyes, feeling unworthy of the gesture. It made him slightly nauseous.

"For everything," he said. "For leaving. Both times. For not being here today." He swallowed hard. "For losing Chris."

"_I'm no Elder," said Leo_

_Matter-of-factly, Chris responded, "Well you better start acting like one." _

_Leo eyed Chris suspiciously, able to spot a deeper meaning in Chris' words despite the younger man's casual attitude. "What do you mean by that?" he asked. "And don't lie to me."_

_Chris took a deep breath and his eyes flittered around. He was clearly nervous, but Leo wasn't sure why. Finally, Chris said, "It just means that your future is about to change drastically. In ways you never thought possible."_

Piper leaned to her right and crooked her neck so she could look into his face. "What do you mean?"

"Gideon killed Chris," said Leo, and unwillingly tears sprung up in his eyes. "I was too late. I couldn't save him."

"_What does that mean?" asked Leo. Chris shrugged, and Leo ran a hand over his face, frustrated. "Look, Chris," he said, "I understand that you can't tell me too much about the future. But you come up here and ask me to do something that breaks all the rules and then tell me that my future is about to change drastically. Do you think that after that I'm just going to blindly do what you tell me to? I need to know what you mean."_

_Several emotions crossed Chris' face in rapid succession and then it became a mask, devoid of any feeling. Clearly, this wasn't going the way Chris had thought it would and he was trying not to let it show. "You're going to become an Elder," he said finally._

Piper shook her head slowly and looked down at the baby in her arms. "I don't believe that's how Chris' life ends," she said. "I won't believe it." She looked back up at Leo. "The future has changed, hasn't it? So Chris' future has changed too."

"How do we know?" asked Leo. "We lost him. I lost him. He doesn't have a future."

_Leo nearly burst out laughing—the Whitelighter in front of him was clearly delusional—but as soon as he saw Chris' face, he realized that Chris was entirely serious. He was telling what he believed to be the truth. Leo swallowed hard. "No," he said, shaking his head. "I'm not becoming an Elder. I'm going home right now. _You_ turn the girls into goddesses." Leo began to orb out._

"_NO!" said Chris, reaching out and clutching Leo's arm. His hand was shaking slightly, but he kept his grip on Leo. "You can't go. You have to do this."_

"_Why?" asked Leo. "I'm not giving up everything to become an Elder. I'm not giving up my family."_

"_It's for the greater good," said Chris, his blue eyes flashing dangerously. "And don't tell me that you don't believe in the greater good. I know you do. I also know that you'll do anything for your family. So if you want to keep them safe, you'll do this." The words came out more threatening that Leo thought Chris intended, because as soon as he said them, he let go of Leo and backed away a little._

"_Keep them safe from what?" asked Leo._

"Leo," said Piper, "he's right here. This baby, right here, this is Chris. And we're not going to let anything happen to him. The Elders will deal with Gideon. Wyatt is safe. And you and I are going to give Chris the life he deserves."

"Gideon's dead," said Leo, and Piper's eyes widened significantly.

"What do you mean?" asked Piper. "Who killed him?"

Leo averted his eyes, scared of seeing Piper's face after he told her. He wouldn't be able to take the disappointment. The disgust. Not that he didn't deserve it. "I did," he said quietly. "After Gideon killed Chris, I killed Gideon."

"Oh my God," said Piper. "Leo..."

"I had to, Piper," said Leo, looking down at her again. To his surprise, her eyes did not reflect the emotion he had expected, but instead seemed filled with shock. "For both of our sons."

_Chris ran a hand through his hair. He looked to be close to tears; of frustration or of guilt or of sadness, Leo couldn't tell. "I know that you don't want to trust some stranger," said Chris. "But you need to. Everyone you know and love is in danger right now, and you're the only one who can do something about it. Please."_

_The words were so desperate, so genuine, that Leo felt fear run down his spine. He stepped towards Chris and took hold of his upper arms, forcing Chris to look at him. "Does something happen to Piper?" he asked, his voice low and dangerous. "Tell me."_

_A single tear spilled from Chris' eye, rolling down his cheek. "Yes," said Chris. "But you can stop it. I know you can."_

_Leo hung his head and released Chris, who stepped back and stared at Leo as though he had never seen him before. "How do you know?" whispered Leo. "How do you know for sure?"_

"_I just do," said Chris. "Trust me. If this goes the way I know that it will, everything will be okay in the end."_

_Leo took a shuddery breath. "Okay," he said. "Okay."_

For several seconds, the tension between them seemed thick enough to cut with a knife, and then finally Piper said, "But what's going to happen to you?"

"What?" said Leo.

"You killed an Elder," she whispered. "What are the other Elders going to do?"

Leo furrowed his brow. He honestly hadn't spared a thought for the consequences of his actions. He also found that he didn't care. He was done with the Elders. He was through with playing by the rules. "I don't know," he said. "Demote me? Make me a mortal? I don't care anymore, Piper. I've been so stupid. So blind. I should have known that Gideon was behind this." He ran a hand through his hair, feeling jittery. "You and Wyatt and Chris are the most important things in my life," he said, "and I'm going to do whatever I have to do to protect you, consequences be damned.

_Even after Chris had banished him to Valhalla and done one suspicious thing after another, Leo had not even considered going back on his word. He knew, despite all of the lies and odd behaviors, that Chris had told the truth when he had said that something happened to Piper in the future. Chris' actions that day Up There had been enough to convince Leo, but any time he might have doubted what he saw and heard that day, all he had to do was look at Chris' face when the young man looked at Piper. That look on Chris' face spoke volumes (now Leo wondered how in the world he had not figured out that Piper was Chris' mother simply from seeing that look; the pain in his expression was pure Piper). If being an Elder meant preventing harm from befalling Piper, then Leo wouldn't go back on his word for anything._

_The night that he and Piper had been chased by the Darklighter only served to remind Leo of what he had promised. Being an Elder meant being Up There all the time, so that was what it would take to protect Piper. This was the reason he had finally left, though he still held out hope that somehow he and Piper would be reunited. _

Tears were falling down Piper's cheeks and Leo felt a stab of regret that he had caused her any pain. Without thinking, he brushed them away with his hand and then kissed her softly. "Everything feels so screwed up right now," he said. "I feel so lost. And the only thing I know for sure is that I love you."

"I love you too," said Piper. She kissed him again and then curled up against him.

_His heart had nearly broken when Piper had told him she'd finally given up on them. The months he had spent Up There he had been in a constant state of distraction thinking of Piper and Wyatt. Continually he reminded himself that he was Up There for them, that he was an Elder for them. But he had also held out hope that someday the threat would be over and they'd be a family again. Piper, apparently, had not felt the same. How could he blame her though? It was for the best. After all, what had he ever done to be worthy of her? She needed someone better. She deserved someone better._

"I don't know why you do," said Leo. "I don't deserve it. I don't deserve you, Piper. Especially since I left. No matter how well-intentioned my leaving was at the time."

Piper said nothing in response and Leo glanced down at her face. She had fallen asleep lying against him; Chris still curled up in her arms. Sighing, Leo kissed her on top of her head and then shut his eyes.

Unfortunately, sleep did not come.

* * *

Piper woke up to the sound of Leo's voice beckoning her. She opened her eyes groggily, feeling stiff and sore all over. To her surprise, Leo was still in the bed with her acting as her pillow. Nearby, a young nurse stood, holding Chris. At some point, someone must have come in and taken Chris from her arms as she slept. 

"Sweetie," said Leo, "it's time to feed the baby."

Piper nodded, still disoriented, and Leo climbed off of the bed. "Don't leave," she said anxiously.

"I'm just giving you some room," said Leo. "I'm not going anywhere."

"'Kay," said Piper. The nurse came over with Chris and helped to get Piper situated. Fortunately, it didn't take long for Chris to latch on. Piper would have been content to stay in silence while Chris fed, but the nurse apparently liked chatter. She began to engage Leo in a conversation. Piper let the words flow over her like water, not paying attention, but relishing in the warmth of Leo's voice. Oh how she loved his voice.

"_Is this a bad time?" asked Chris. Piper turned and looked at him, speechless. Her son. Her son. Her and Leo's son. Somehow, this fact still hadn't registered._

"_Come in," said Phoebe forwardly. Chris stepped into the room looking anxious and Piper fought the urge to run away. "We'll just leave you alone," added Phoebe, and Piper could hear the grin in her voice. Had she been able to stop staring at Chris, she would have slapped her sister. As it was, Phoebe and Paige were gone and the door was closed before Piper could blink._

_Chris laughed nervously, averting his—Leo's—blue eyes. "I take it they told you," he said._

"_Yeah," said Piper, unable to stop gaping. Chris gave another self-conscious laugh and ran a hand through his hair the way she had seen Leo do a hundred times. How had she missed it? Here, confronted with the truth, every single thing about Chris seemed to scream that he was part of the family. His gestures a mix of Leo and her father. Her dark hair on his head. Prue's convictions. Paige's forthrightness, though with the expectation that no explanation was needed to follow his demands. Phoebe was the only one she couldn't see imprinted clearly, but perhaps that was why he had been able to go to her first. Because they weren't so much alike. Or maybe they were in ways Piper couldn't see yet. _

_And God, his determination to save the family. So like her. He had the same obvious marks of grief in his speech and looks and actions that she did. Who had he lost to cause that? And did he suffer from depression as she did? Had he gotten help for it—surely she had insisted that he must. _

_How had she missed it? He was half-witch, half-Whitelighter for heaven's sake; how many of those possibly existed?_

When Chris was done feeding, the nurse took him from her and left her alone with Leo. Piper leaned back against her pillows, still exhausted, but unwilling to take her eyes off of the man she loved. She couldn't quite believe that Leo was still here. She had expected him to be gone by the time she woke up, but not for the same reason she would have thought that just twenty-four hours ago.

In the past year and a half, Leo had abandoned her more than once for reasons she still didn't know. As a result, she had been furious, insecure, depressed, bitter, hesitant and generally unhappy. At the moment, however, everything she had felt about her relationship with Leo since he had left flew out of the window. Yes, he had gone and she didn't know why. But she finally understood that whatever the reason, he felt that he had been doing what was right for the family. Everything had been for her and the kids. She knew that now without a doubt; Leo had proven that today.

"_Are you okay?" asked Chris. "I can leave." He turned to do so, and Piper called out, "No! Wait!" Chris turned slowly and bit his lip._

"_I'm sorry," said Piper. "I just… I'm trying to wrap my head around this. I can't believe I didn't realize." How did she not realize?_

"_I'm surprised too," said Chris. "I didn't mean to stay this long and the longer I stayed the more likely it was that I was going to be found out. But only Aunt Phoebe figured it out." Aunt Phoebe. Oh, Lord…_

"_Well, that's Phoebe for you," said Piper, echoing Chris' nervous laughter from before._

She had still expected Leo to disappear again today though. Mostly, she had been afraid that the Elders would snatch him away from her just as they had the first time she and Leo had tried to marry. He had killed an Elder—for which Piper could not blame him; Gideon had nearly cost Leo his entire family—and the other Elders were certain to be unforgiving. They always were. Since this obviously hadn't happened yet, she simply had to wait for the moment it would and prepare to fight. If they thought she would just let Leo go, they were sadly mistaken.

Another smaller part of her thought that Leo might not have been here when she awoke because he had been acting so insecure. He seemed to be questioning everything: his faith in the Elders; his belief in sixty-some years of work; even his worthiness to be allowed back into the family. She knew already, just looking at him, that this was not something that was going to go away easily. Leo was teetering on the edge of something dangerous. Something with the potential to destroy him.

"_I'm sorry I didn't tell you," said Chris. He looked genuinely guilty about this fact and Piper felt a surge of anger at herself. Every horrible thing she had said to Chris, every nasty thing she had done came flooding back into memory. What kind of mother was she? Even if she hadn't know—hadn't trusted him—she should have somehow felt that connection._

"_Don't apologize," said Piper. "I'm sure you had your reasons."_

_Chris shrugged and looked at the floor for a moment. "I feel like I've made a mess of everything," he said. "And I can't explain to you why I feel that way because I'll give away too much of the future, but I want you to know that I really tried my best. And I'm sorry for screwing up."_

"_You don't have to apologize," said Piper again. "You're trying to help the family. Obviously. I should be apologizing to you. I've been… I've done…some terrible things to you over the past ten months. And I'm really, really sorry for that."_

"_You didn't know," said Chris. "And I probably deserved it half of the time anyway. I should have known…" He trailed off and Piper wondered what it was that he should have known. Chris didn't elaborate, though._

"Leo?" said Piper.

"Hmm?" said Leo. He leaned forward in his seat and took her hand. "What is it?" he asked.

"Will you come home?" she asked.

Leo averted his eyes and Piper ran a thumb over his palm, in no hurry for him to answer. She would wait an eternity for this.

"I shouldn't, Piper," said Leo. "You're better off without me."

"No I'm not," said Piper. She was surprised at the calm that seemed to have temporarily settled over her. She was so very rarely calm. "Leo, I don't know how to prove to you that I need you. That the kids need you. You saved all of our lives today. You've saved me a hundred times over. I wouldn't have survived Prue's death without you. You know that."

"_I know that you've only known that you're my mom for about fifteen minutes now," said Chris. "But do you think… It's been so long, and I just…" He sighed. "Nevermind."_

_Chris turned to leave again and Piper stepped forward, reaching out a hand towards him and then pulling it back, hesitant. "Wait," she said. "What is it?"_

_Chris shut his eyes, clearly unsure, and then said, "Could I have a hug?"_

"I don't know much of anything anymore, Piper. I couldn't even save Chris. He came back to save the family. He shouldn't have had to do that at all. I should have been able to protect the family from whatever happened."

"You've got to forgive yourself, Leo," said Piper. "I love you too much to watch you self-destruct this way."

"Maybe I'm just seeing things clearly for the first time."

_Piper's eyes went wide and for a moment she stood frozen. Chris opened his eyes and saw her clearly indecisive face and his own face crumpled in pain. "Nevermind," he said. "It's stupid—"_

_No, thought Piper, _she_ was the one being stupid. Without another thought, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around her son. For a moment, he didn't respond, but then he returned the embrace. The hug lasted several minutes; Chris seemed unable to let go. When he finally stepped back, Piper could see that he was crying._

"_Thanks," said Chris. "I've missed that." He smiled and then turned and left the room without another word._

"Leo Wyatt," said Piper, "stop thinking that way right now. You're going to get through this. You're going to get past this. I'll help you in any way I can."

"I'll just bring you down with me, Piper. Can't you see that?"

Piper shook her head. "I gave up on you once, Leo. It's a mistake I'll never make again. So one way or another, whether you like it or not, you're stuck with me. I'm going to help you through this, just like you've helped me so many times before. So even if you feel like you can't come home right now, I want you to know that the door is always open. I'm always here and I'm always willing to help. Because I love you, so much."

"I love you too," said Leo.

Piper smiled. "And that's enough," she said. "That's everything."

**

* * *

A/n: **This chapter went through major cosmetic surgery. It was originally about two and a half pages long and entirely from Leo's point of view. And actually, a lot less heavy. But after I wrote chapters fifteen (which was originally to be from Leo's point of view) and sixteen, I knew I had to change this one. I figured that since the song is a duet that it made sense to have the chapter from two points of view. I also decided to run with the theme of Piper giving up that I began in ch. fifteen, primarily because there is such a change in her behavior with Leo between season six and season seven. I wanted to expand on the reasons why, and to show how she finally forgave Leo for everything that happened. 

Some of you might recognize the Leo/Chris conversation as reminiscent of a short that I wrote in my series of vignettes, "Moments in Time." I like this version much better (thank goodness my writing has improved), but a little bit of the dialogue is directly from that other piece.

I hope that the italicized sections weren't too distracting. I began by simply wanting to include an explanation as to why Leo left (since Piper harps on it so) and then decided to expand it. If there is ever a section to specifically include Chris, this is it. And he deserves a shout-out in one of the season six pieces, since he was behind so much of what went on that season.

So I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. Thank you so much for the reviews. I truly, truly appreciate them.

_Katie_

**A/n 2: ****piperloveleoalways** suggested in her review of the last chapter that I change the rating of this story from M to T. I'm torn about it though: most of the story is definitely T, but there are a couple of sections I'm unsure about. So I'd like to ask the opinion of the reviewers, who are so kind to stick with this story.

Should I change the rating of this story to T? Thanks for any feedback.

_Katie_


	18. I'll Stand by You

**Disclaimer**: I don't own _Charmed _nor do I own anything related to The Pretenders' song, "I'll Stand by You." This takes place right after the scene where Piper sees Leo asleep on the bed with Wyatt and Chris in the episode, "Charrrmed."

**Through the Years**

**Eighteen: I'll Stand by You**

_And when,  
When the night falls on you, baby  
You're feeling all alone  
You won't be on your own _

I'll stand by you  
I'll stand by you  
Won't let nobody hurt you

I'll stand by you  
Take me in, into your darkest hour  
And I'll never desert you  
I'll stand by you 

-The Pretenders, "I'll Stand by You"

As the Elder orbed out, Piper shut her eyes and took a deep breath. She had been working very hard lately to remain calm, but it was hard at times like this. The Elders wanted Leo to be well for the "gathering storm." If they thought she was trying to bring Leo back for them, they were very sadly mistaken. She was doing this for her kids. For herself. And for Leo. The Elders, as far as she was concerned, could go to hell.

_Calm_, she reminded herself. _You need to stay calm._ _For Leo_.

The thought worked better than Piper had expected; the fact that she was looking at her family in moment of pure bliss probably helped. With the Elders in the back of her mind, Piper walked into her bedroom and picked Chris up off of the bed as quietly as she could. He snuggled into her immediately, and Piper could tell he was tired. Without disturbing Leo, she went to the other side of the bed and held out her right hand to Wyatt, helping him down off of the bed. She held a finger up to her lips to tell Wyatt to be quiet, and he imitated her, smiling broadly.

Chris had fallen asleep by the time she had walked down the hall to the boys' room, and so she put him to bed easily, kissing his head lightly before turning to Wyatt. "Okay, baby," she said. "Which pajamas do you want to wear tonight? The fire trucks or the airplanes?" She held out both sets, and Wyatt pointed to the airplanes, so she tossed the other pair on top of the dresser and knelt down on the floor to change her son's clothes.

"Did you have fun with Daddy tonight?" she asked. "I think you wore him out." Wyatt smiled again and leaned in to wrap his arms around her neck. "Oh, sweetie," said Piper, pulling up his pajama bottoms the rest of the way and then hugging him back. "I missed you tonight." She kissed him on the side of his head, and then pulled back, picking him up and plopping him down in his bed.

"It's time to go to sleep," she whispered. She brought the sheets up around him, handed him his teddy bear and then kissed him on the forehead. "I love you," she said, standing up and flicking off the light. "Sweet dreams," she said, and she left the room, closing the door behind her.

When she got back to her own bedroom, Piper shut the door behind her and sighed, exhausted from the long day. Being a witch with two children and a slightly disturbed husband was beginning to take its toll. At least today had gone well for Leo. That was one thing to be incredibly grateful for because every step forward with the Elders was a step closer to getting Leo back to normal. Tomorrow, of course, would be another battle, but she could think about that then. She had other things on her mind tonight.

Slowly, Piper sat down on the edge of the bed, trying not to disturb Leo. She had tried hard over the past few weeks to initiate physical intimacy again, but Leo was reluctant to give in to her. Every insecurity he had ever had about himself and their relationship seemed to be on the forefront of his mind, and Piper had had a difficult time distracting him. But oh how she wanted to.

This seemed like the perfect opportunity. He was asleep on their bed (already in her mind it was theirs again; their bed, their bedroom, their home) and relaxed. If she began something now, maybe he'd be more open to finishing it. Maybe he'd be relaxed enough to enjoy it instead of giving into self-doubt. She was sure that it was worth a try.

Confident, Piper leaned down and kissed Leo's jaw, slowly kissing her way up to his lips. She had woken him this way many times before, and sure enough, by the time she captured his lips with hers, he was responsive: one of his arms came up and crooked around her lower back, pulling her closer. In return, she deepened the kiss, slipping her tongue into his mouth. Leo's left hand drifted up her side, grazing her breast before settling in her hair and she groaned. The sound seemed to affect Leo, because his right hand, which had been lingering around her lower back, moved down to her ass and pushed her lower body down hard against him.

Reluctantly, Piper had to break the kiss for air. She didn't want to; she was desperately afraid that at any moment Leo would snap back to reality and orb out. And she needed this. Badly.

"Piper," said Leo breathlessly.

"Shh," said Piper. "Don't think." To reinforce this point, she kissed him again. Leo rocked against her and then rolled so she was pinned underneath him. "Oh, God," said Piper. It had been much, much too long. Her hands drifted up and began to undo the buttons on his shirt. Leo made the task more difficult by kissing her neck, but there was no way Piper was complaining. It felt too wonderful.

Once Leo's shirt was off, Piper put her hands on his shoulder and pushed him over so he was on his back again. Leo raised an eyebrow, slightly amused, but Piper ignored him and began kissing a trail down his chest. When she reached his pants, she began to fiddle with the belt, clumsy in her eagerness to dispose of the item. As soon as it was off, she undid the button and zipper of his pants and began to tug them down with his boxers. Leo began to sit up, and Piper pushed him back against the pillows. "Relax," she said, kissing him.

That was as far as they got.

Without warning, the phone rang and Piper jumped, bumping her head against Leo's jaw. "Oh!" she said, rubbing her head. "Who the hell is calling at this time of night?" Leo shrugged, and Piper could tell that already his mind was back in action, thinking of every stupid reason that he shouldn't have sex with her tonight. Any advantage she had had by catching him off guard was fading quickly. She desperately wanted to ignore the phone and have her way with Leo while she still had the chance, but what if it was Phoebe on the other line? What if she was in trouble? Resigned, Piper picked up the phone.

"Hello?" she said. Behind her she felt Leo get off of the bed. _Damn it to hell_, she thought.

"Hi, is Amy there?"

"Are you kidding me?" asked Piper angrily. She'd been deterred for a wrong number? Furious, she hung up the phone, just barely refraining from blowing it up.

"Who was it?" asked Leo. Piper turned and saw that he already had his pants back on and was in the process of pulling on his shirt.

"Wrong number," said Piper. "You know, you don't have to go. We could just pick up where we left off."

Leo frowned. "I'm not sure that's a good idea, Piper. I should go."

"Please, stay," said Piper, crawling across the bed and kneeling on the edge of the other side. She took hold of his shirt and pulled him towards her. "I'll make it worth your while," she said. Then she kissed him. For a moment, she thought it had actually worked; Leo certainly responded thoroughly to the kiss. But when he pulled back, he said, "I really have to go."

"Wait," said Piper. She couldn't let him leave. Somehow, someway, she needed some kind of answer about their relationship. She just couldn't take any more of this limbo they seemed to be in. She released his shirt and rearranged herself so she was sitting on the edge of the bed looking up at him. "Can we just talk for awhile? Just talk, I swear."

Leo looked hesitant, but he nodded. "Okay," he said.

"What is going on between us?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" asked Leo. He averted his eyes, though, and Piper knew that he was being ignorant on purpose.

"I want to know what you're thinking, Leo. That's what I mean. What are you thinking about us? Do you want to be with me?"

"Yes!" said Leo. He laughed nervously, as though they hadn't been together for seven years, and ran a hand through his hair. "You have no idea how much."

"Then what's going on?" asked Piper. "Because I think that you can guess that I'm more than willing."

"I'm just worried, Piper. I'm worried about hurting you again."

"You're not going to hurt me by being with me, Leo. We belong together, and I know that deep down you still remember that." She reached out and took his left hand. "Why do you think that you're going to hurt me?"

"I don't know, Piper," said Leo. He dropped her hand and began pacing around the room. "What if the Elders realize what I did? What if they take me away? Recycle my soul? I don't want you to have to go through losing me again."

"Leo, I'd rather be with you for one more day than never again. If they take you from me it's going to hurt like hell, no matter if we're together or not. But they're not going to take you away. I will fight them to the death if they even try. Which, of course, is redundant since they're already dead, but you know what I mean."

Leo paused and smiled briefly, but then resumed his pacing. "It's not just that, though, Piper. It's everything else too. The voices. I feel like I'm going crazy!"

"You're not crazy, Leo," she said. "Something has to be behind this. I don't believe that it's just happening for no reason. We can figure it out together, though. I know we can. But in order to do that we actually need to be a team again. Don't you think?"

Leo halted and turned to face her again. Quietly he said, "I just want to protect you."

"I want to protect you too," said Piper. "If we're together, we can protect each other."

For what seemed an eternity, Leo stared at her. Then, slowly, he nodded. "Okay," he said.

"You'll come home?" asked Piper. She held her breath, silently praying that this would finally be it.

"Yeah," Leo said gradually. "We can try it."

Piper smiled and Leo crossed the room, took her face in his hands and kissed her. When he pulled back, he said, "One thing though."

"What?" asked Piper.

"I think that you should talk to your sisters about it first. If those voices I'm hearing are dangerous, they need to know about it too."

For a moment, Piper wanted to argue. Paige and Phoebe both seemed to have little concern about exposing her and the kids to whatever men they dragged through the door. They also both seemed to only live at home when it pleased them now. Piper felt that she had every right in the world to ask her husband to move back in without talking to them. Then the thoughts passed. After all, what would they say? No? She could give Leo this one concession.

"Okay," she said. "I'll talk to them soon."

Leo smiled and then kissed her again. "I should get going," he said.

"You're not staying?" asked Piper.

"Not tonight," said Leo.

Piper sighed, too tired to argue, and stood up. "Come back for breakfast, okay?"

"Okay," said Leo. Piper stood on her tip toes and kissed him one last time.

"I love you," she said.

"I love you too. Goodnight."

Before Piper could say another word, Leo orbed out and she was alone again.

**

* * *

A/n: **I always thought there was a huge Piper and Leo moment missing between "Charrrmed" and "Once in a Blue Moon." Things went from awkward to "oh! Leo's moving back home!" in record time and we never saw how they got there. So this is my contribution to rectifying that. 

Thank you to everyone for the advice about changing the rating. After much thought, I've decided to keep the rating at M. All things considered, I finally figured that I wouldn't want my seventh grade students to read parts of this story. And, as one reviewer reminded me, I need to keep in mind what's coming up too, and I realized that this story is going to get darker before it gets lighter. So at M it stays. Thank you all for the input.

Also, thanks for the reviews! They were so kind and I really appreciated all of the feedback. You all make this story worth writing. Thank you.

_Katie_


	19. After All

**Disclaimer**: I don't own _Charmed_ nor do I own anything related to Cher and Peter Cetera's song, "After All." This takes place sometime after the Avatars and before "The Seven Year Witch." You can choose where you think it fits best.

**Through the Years**

**Nineteen: After All**

_When love is truly right  
(This time it's truly right)  
It lives from year to year  
It changes as it goes  
Oh, and on and on it grows  
But it never disappears _

After all the stops and starts  
We keep coming back  
To these two hearts  
Two angels who've been rescued  
From the fall  
And after all that we've been through  
It all comes down to me and you 

_I guess it's meant to be  
Forever you and me, after all  
_

-Peter Cetera and Cher, "After All"

"I can't believe we finally got them both to sleep at the same time," said Piper as she leaned back against the door to the boys' bedroom.

"I still can't believe they finally have their own room. How'd you manage to swing that with your sisters anyway?"

Piper shrugged. "I didn't. Paige was being generous."

"Remind me to thank her sometime," said Leo. Piper grinned and Leo wondered if that had been wildly inappropriate of him to say in the current state of their relationship. He still had no idea where they stood. He felt as though they were drifting, and he couldn't quite figure out to where. Every day felt like they were on different territory with one another. _And whose fault is that?_ asked the little voice in his head.

"I will," said Piper in answer to his statement, snapping Leo back into the moment. Her smile grew mischievous as she stood up straight and, taking the initiative she'd always shown in their relationship, walked over to him and took his hands. Then she leaned up and kissed him lightly on his neck.

"Piper," he said, amazed that one kiss from her could practically render him senseless. "What are we doing?

Piper kissed his neck again, closer to his jaw line. "Well," she said, her lips moving against his neck, "right now I'm trying to get you in the mood." She kissed him again. "But since you haven't dragged me down the hall to our bedroom, I'm not sure it's working."

"Our bedroom," said Leo. He put his hands on Piper's shoulders and gently pushed her away from him so he could look into her eyes. "You think of it as our bedroom then?"

"Don't you?" asked Piper.

Leo frowned, uncertain how to articulate how he felt in words, but at the same time eager to lay his mind to rest once and for all. "Well," he said, "we've been together the past six months, but we haven't really been...together, you know?"

"Are you talking about sex?" asked Piper bluntly, wrapping her arms around him and letting her hands come to rest on his ass. She certainly had a one track mind tonight. "Because it's really been more like a year. Over a year."

"Piper…"

Piper sighed and stepped back, folding her arms across her chest. "Okay," she said. "I'll stop. But you really should think about it because I'm sure that I can't be the only one who's frustrated."

"I'll keep that in mind," said Leo wryly. Then, more seriously, he said, "Look, Piper, I know that this is my fault. I know that I've been the one hemming and hawing about getting back together—"

"Whoa!" said Piper. She held up a hand in a stop gesture. "Are you telling me that you don't consider us 'back together'?"

"Do you think we are?"

Piper shrugged in an, "isn't it obvious?" sort of way. "Yeah," she said. "I mean, I know we've been having problems. And that you still haven't moved back in. And that we haven't had sex in way too long. But I do consider you to be my husband again. We've just had a rough patch."

"A rough patch?" said Leo skeptically. "Piper, you asked for a divorce. You dated other men."

"Hang on a second," said Piper. "First of all, if I recall correctly you left and then I asked for some space. If anyone initiated divorce, it was you. Second of all, I didn't even care about any of those other men."

"You certainly looked pretty cozy with the fireman. You're telling me he didn't mean anything?" said Leo bitterly. As Piper's eyebrows narrowed he immediately regretted the words. Now she was really going to be on the offensive.

"I was mad, Leo. I was mad that you said you were leaving me and that _you_ basically asked for a divorce, but then you never left. You were still hanging around the manor all the time. So maybe I wanted to punish you a little. And to get my sisters off of my back." She rolled her eyes and added under her breath, "As if dating proved that I was over you. Give me a break."

Leo opened his mouth to apologize again and to tell her that as it was all in the past, maybe they should focus on the present, but then something stopped him. He realized that if Piper was still upset about this—and obviously he was too, as he had opened this can of worms—then ignoring it wasn't going to make it go away. As much as both he and Piper hated discussing the painful parts of their relationship, they had to this time. Maybe sweeping things under the rug was part of their problem.

"It worked," said Leo instead. When Piper furrowed her brow in confusion, Leo clarified, "Watching you with those other men was a punishment, but I felt like I deserved every second of it. I was the one who left, even if I didn't want to."

"Obviously you didn't want to, Leo, seeing that it took you ten months to actually leave."

"I didn't ask to be an Elder, Piper," said Leo. For the first time in a long time he felt himself getting angry with her. Strangely, the anger felt good; it felt as though he was waking up from a long slumber. He had been treating Piper like china, he realized, because of how guilty he felt. That hadn't helped anyone, had it?

"You certainly jumped at the chance to be one fast enough!"

"I only did it to protect you!" said Leo. "Chris said—" He shut his mouth abruptly. Even if he wanted to be more honest with Piper that was one thing he never intended to tell her.

"Chris said what?" asked Piper. Leo kept his mouth shut and Piper stepped closer to him, pointing a finger in his face. "So help me, Leo Wyatt, if you don't tell me this instant I will blow you from here to next Thursday. What did Chris say?"

"I don't want you to be angry with Chris," said Leo quietly.

"He's my son, Leo. I'm not going to hold it against him, whatever it may be."

Leo sighed. "He told me that I had to become an Elder to protect my family. He told me… He told me that something happens to you in the future."

"And that's why you became an Elder?" asked Piper.

"At first," said Leo. "But then after Chris sent me to Valhalla I wanted to stay an Elder so I could figure out who he really was. Then you started dating other people and I realized that you deserved the chance to move on and be happy. You didn't need me screwing up your life anymore."

To his surprise, Piper began to laugh. Instantly, Leo's ire rose and he crossed his arms. "Is that really that funny?" he asked.

"No," said Piper, trying and failing to quell her chuckling. "I was just thinking about how frustrated Chris must have been. Whatever he may have told you, I don't think he intended for you to stay an Elder. He must have thought we'd work it out fairly quickly, or else he wouldn't have risked his existence."

"That's not that funny," said Leo. "He must have been scared to death."

"Oh, lighten up. He made it. He's lying right in there." She waved a hand towards the boys' bedroom door, and Leo cracked a small smile.

"You know, he did tell me to go home in the end."

"You should listen to him, Leo. Except for underestimating what martyrs his parents are, he's a smart kid."

Leo smiled. "I do want to come home, Piper. I've wanted to for a long time now."

Piper grinned, her smile growing more and more with each passing second, her eyes sparkling. "You have no idea how long I've been waiting for you to say those words," said Piper. "And I mean really say them, without me having to plead with you to come home."

"Trust me, Piper," said Leo. "I've never been so sure of anything in my life. I want to be your husband again. I want to be a real father to Wyatt and Chris. I want to be a family again. If, you know, you want those things too?" The words came out as a question, almost a quiet plea, because despite everything, Leo honestly wanted Piper to make the choice. He wanted her to be sure that he was what she wanted.

The next thing he knew, Piper had practically leapt towards him, wrapping her arms around his neck and capturing his mouth in a heated kiss. "Yes," she said, kissing him again. "Yes, yes, yes."

Leo grinned, feeling happy and certain and fulfilled for the first time in years. Before anything else could happen, he took Piper by the hand and led her down the hall to their bedroom.

* * *

Late that night, Leo lay in bed next to Piper running his fingers lightly up and down her arm. A quiet hung over the room, punctuated only by occasional sighs of contentment. Still, as calm and satisfied as Leo felt at the moment, in the back of his mind the Elders hung like an ominous cloud. Leo was trying his best to keep them out of his thoughts so he could just enjoy this time with his wife—how good it felt to say that again!—but he couldn't quite ignore them completely. Any day they could destroy everything he'd just gotten back a few hours ago. 

Without warning, Piper lifted her head from his chest and turned, staring across the room at her dresser. "What is it?" asked Leo curiously. It seemed that she had something entirely different on her mind.

"I just thought of something," said Piper. She slipped out of bed and went to her jewelry box. Leo raised an eyebrow, but a minute later Piper had crawled back into bed with something clutched in her fist.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"I know," said Piper quietly, "that the Elders could swoop in any day now and take you away." Leo almost smiled at the coincidence; perhaps their thoughts hadn't been so different after all. "I know this might only last another hour, but you need to know that I'm so glad that if nothing else, we had tonight."

"I am too," said Leo. "But can't we forget about the Elders, just for tonight?"

"Trust me," said Piper, "they're the last thing I want to think about right now. I just remembered something." Slowly she opened her fist: lying on her palm was both of their wedding rings and her engagement ring. "I just thought that this way everyone, even the Elders, will remember what we mean to each other."

"You kept them," said Leo, honestly surprised. After everything Piper had said to him before Chris was born, he had almost expected her to get rid of them in an attempt to cleanse him from her life.

"Of course I did," said Piper softly. "Do you want to—"

"Of course," said Leo. He picked up Piper's rings and she lifted her left hand, looking slightly teary-eyed. Slowly, his eyes on Piper's beautiful face, he slipped on both rings. Without hesitating, Piper returned the gesture, taking his left hand and putting his ring back, right where it belonged.

"I love you," said Piper. "I really do."

"I love you too," said Leo. "And nothing is _ever_ going to change that."

**

* * *

A/n:** This was one of the first chapters I drafted, but I actually changed it quite a bit in light of chapter eighteen. The end is the only idea that still exists from the original draft. This chapter, of course, goes hand-in-hand with chapter eighteen and it's another huge moment I thought was missing from the show. I know this sounds weird, but the idea was actually born from how much it always bothered me that Leo had a wedding ring tan in "The Seven Year Witch" when he hadn't been seen wearing his ring in so long! I also like giving Piper and Leo some kind of defined relationship since the show didn't seem willing to (was it really necessary to have Phoebe doubt love twice in the same season, yet scarcely give Piper and Leo's relationship airtime?! Sorry, I sound a little bitter, but that always bugged me). 

I'm not sure why Piper's been so eager to get Leo into bed in the last two chapters. I guess she deserves to be since it's been a year and a half and the last time was in an alley. Hehehe.

Anyway, the next chapter will be up sometime soon. I'm having a little bit of trouble with it and I'm probably going to be starting a second job soon, but I'll make time to get it done.

Thank you all for the reviews! You have all been so positive and encouraging that it makes writing this a true joy. I can't believe that there are only five chapters left! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

_Katie_


	20. Just for a Moment

**A/n: **Just a quick note: this song is so lovely; I highly recommend listening to it! It may be my favorite in the entire series. 

**Disclaimer**: I don't own _Charmed_ nor do I own anything related to Aqualung's song, "Just for a Moment." This takes place at the end of "The Seven Year Witch."

**Through the Years**

**Twenty: Just for a Moment**

_The same thing that blew us together  
Might blow us apart  
So keep a piece of me precious  
And close to your heart _

Just for a moment  
All of my nightmares came true  
Just for a moment  
My heart was broken in two

Oh how I need you  
Oh how I'd miss you  
Oh how I love you 

-Aqualung, "Just for a Moment"

When Leo had left home for the army, his father had told him three things: don't lose faith in the things that matter; never forget who you are; and, what you're doing may seem overwhelmingly huge at times, but don't forget that in the end you're really doing this for your family. Leo, despite being so young at the time, had taken the advice to heart. His father had fought in a war before and Leo could see the scars of that war in his father's actions every day. Leo had no doubt that his father knew what he was speaking.

He had died with his father's words in his mind.

Even after so many years, Leo had never forgotten the last advice his father had given him, but he had ignored it. In the light of this early morning, thinking back over the past six months, he knew that he had spent much of his time doing the exact opposite of what his father had told him. He had lost faith in everything he had once held sacred. He had forgotten who he was. And worst of all, he had been so obsessed with the big picture that he had been unable to be there for his family. Now, for the first time in much too long, Leo felt as though he was man his father had wanted him to be.

Leo smiled at the thought. The idea that his father, wherever he was now, was proud of him made Leo feel lighthearted. For so many years he had sought approval from the Elders, but they had never truly seen eye-to-eye on many things. Sometimes, it was disheartening. That didn't matter anymore, though, did it? He had finally proved to the Elders what he had been trying to prove for years: that he and Piper belonged together.

* * *

"_You've heard of the Charmed Ones, haven't you, Leo?"_

_Leo's eyes widened in curiosity. "They're prophesied to be the most powerful witches of all time," said Leo. He tried very hard to keep any question out of his voice; the Elders would tell him what this was about in due time. Questioning them was frowned upon._

"_Correct," said Corrine. "What else?"_

"_They're supposed to be three sisters, I believe," said Leo. "With three different powers?" Gideon nodded slightly, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth, and Leo felt slightly more secure. Nothing bad was going to happen here today._

"_That's right," said Corrine. "One with the power of telekinesis, one with the power to freeze time and one with the power of premonition."_

_All of the Elders stared at him expectantly, but Leo felt oblivious. He had no idea what they were trying to tell him. After a moment, one of the newer Elders, Ulysses, said, "You are the Halliwells' Whitelighter, correct?"_

"_Yes," said Leo proudly. Of course, the eldest was only five and the youngest had just been born so he hadn't done much yet, but the family was prestigious. Penny Halliwell was practically a legend. What this had to do with anything the Elders were discussing, Leo didn't know. Perhaps they were angry that he hadn't been to see the new baby yet._

_Odin sighed impatiently. Leo wasn't exactly sure how he had become an Elder; he did not seem to have the calm nature required for the job. "Put the two together, son," he said. "There are three of them now, aren't there? I didn't imagine that baby's birth?"_

_Leo's mouth dropped open in shock. Put the two together? Certainly they weren't saying that the Halliwell children were the Charmed Ones. The idea that he—a Whitelighter with only thirty-three years experience—would be the Whitelighter of the Charmed Ones seemed ridiculous. It couldn't be true, could it?_

"_Excuse me," said Leo. "Are you saying that the Halliwells are the Charmed Ones?"_

"_By George, he's got it!" said Odin. "Give the boy a prize!"_

_Corrine scowled. "That's enough, Odin."_

"_But I don't understand," said Leo abruptly. "Am I being reassigned? Is that what this is about?"_

"_You should have more faith in your abilities," said Gideon, speaking for the first time. "You're an excellent Whitelighter, Leo."_

"_We have every confidence in you," added Corrine. "We know that you're going to do a fine job with them."_

"_You're serious about this," said Leo. He wasn't sure why he felt so hesitant; any Whitelighter would kill for this job. _

"_All this doubt," said Odin. "You're going to have to do something about that, boy."_

"_Leo," said Corrine, "you do want this job, don't you?"_

"_Yes!" said Leo eagerly. How could he not? "Of course I do."_

"_Excellent!" said Gideon. Corrine looked slightly less convinced._

"_If you ever find yourself in doubt," she said, "you know that you can always come to us, Leo."_

"_I know," said Leo. "Thank you."_

* * *

"_You're alive," said Natalie, somehow sounded excited and concerned at the same time. "How are you alive?"_

_Leo averted his eyes, unable to look his friend in the eye. "It wasn't a big deal, Natalie."_

"_Wasn't a big deal?" she said. "Leo, you were shot by a Darklighter's arrow. Unless you had enough strength to orb back up here, you should be dead. You know that's the only way anyone has ever survived before. Now what happened?"_

"_I was with the Charmed Ones," said Leo vaguely._

"_They saved you?" asked Natalie. "How? That's amazing! They must be even more powerful than anyone thought!"_

_Leo shrugged, unwilling to lie or to tell Natalie the truth. If she knew, she would be furious. Whitelighters didn't fall in love with their charges; that's just the way things were. _

"_Hey, what is going on?" asked Natalie. She put a hand on Leo's arm to stop him from walking on and looked him in the eye. "There's something you're not telling me, Leo."_

"_It's nothing. Just forget it, okay?"_

"_No!" said Natalie, dropping her voice to a whisper. "Something is going on with you. You've been moping around here for months now. You were angry when the Elders told you not to reveal to the Charmed Ones that you're a Whitelighter yet. Although I guess that cat's out of the bag, now. And now today you're mysteriously healed after being fatally wounded. If you can't explain it to me, Leo, how do you expect to explain it to the Elders?"_

"_I told you it's nothing," said Leo, shrugging off Natalie's hand and walking away._

"_If I didn't know better, I'd say you're in love with one of them!" Natalie called out after him. Leo stopped dead in his tracks, trying to ignore the looks people were now giving him. Slowly, he turned to face Natalie again._

"_You are!" she said. She rushed up to him and began to whisper so quickly that it sounded like a hiss. "What are you thinking? You can't fall in love with one of your charges! And one this high profile? You're insane, Leo! Go to the Elders right now and tell them that you need to be reassigned!"_

"_I _don't _need to be reassigned," said Leo. "It's no big deal. You're overreacting."_

"_She switched powers with you, didn't she?" Natalie said, ignoring Leo entirely. "That's how she healed you. Which means that she must love you too. This is worse than I thought!"_

"_Look, Natalie," said Leo stiffly, "it's none of your business. This is between me and Piper and no one else."_

"_Listen to yourself! Leo, this is the kind of thing that will get you fired. You're going to end up mortal again at best. At worst they'll recycle your soul. You can't stay on this path!"_

"_Just stay out of it!" said Leo. "I can take care of myself!"_

* * *

"_What were you thinking?" demanded Gideon. "Trying to marry a charge! You gave up a mortal life, Leo! You gave up mortal pleasures! Don't be an idiot!"_

"_You're not going to make me believe that I'm wrong," said Leo. "I love her. I love her more than anything, and I won't give her up!"_

"_Don't be stupid, Leo. Of course you're going to give her up. You have no choice in the matter. Now, I've convinced the other Elders to just keep you grounded for now. You won't be able to leave, but there will be no more drastic actions than that. Eventually, if you promise to stay away from the Charmed Ones, then maybe we'll give you some of your other charges back."_

"_You can't do that!" said Leo, perfectly aware that they could. "You can't keep me from her! We're meant to be together, and nothing you do is going to stop that! I'll clip my wings!"_

"_Stop speaking nonsense, Leo. We have ways to keep you from clipping your wings if that's what we want. You belong up here. Stop thinking of things that can't be and act practically. Nothing good can come from a union between you and Piper."_

_Leo shook his head. "We're soul mates, Gideon. You can't stop that. One way or another, Piper and I are going to be together. You'll see."_

"_Leo, please. We're friends. I care about you. A lot of people up here do. It's not worth it."_

"_Yes it is," said Leo. "Nothing you say is going to convince me otherwise. Now if we're really friends, you'll go in there and tell them exactly what I said. This isn't going to end until Piper and I are together."_

_Gideon frowned. "Look, Leo," he said, "I…" He sighed. "I'll see what I can do."_

"_Thank you!" said Leo. "Thank you so much!"_

_

* * *

Odin placed a heavy hand on his shoulder, stopping him in his tracks. "Other Elders have been speaking on your behalf, Leo. Other Whitelighters too. Ones that remember how you were before you ever got entangled with the Charmed Ones."_

"_I'm still the same person," said Leo. He knew though, that he wasn't. _

"_No, you're not," said Odin. He sighed. "Sometimes I think that if I could just erase them from your mind; make you forget that you ever even heard of the damn Charmed Ones…"_

"_I could never forget Piper."_

"_You'd be surprised what you can forget. Do you remember your first wife? What was her name? Elaine? Lilly?"_

"_Lillain," said Leo. "Her name was Lillian. And she has nothing to do with this."_

"_What color were her eyes, Leo? What was her favorite food? What did her hair smell like?"_

_Leo glared at Odin. Lillian had been so long ago; the last time he had seen her was sixty-two years ago. His marriage to her seemed almost like a pleasant dream now, but was that really surprising? They'd dated for two years in high school and then married right after graduation. Two weeks later, Leo had left for the army. Did that even count as a marriage?_

"_See," said Odin triumphantly. "You can't remember!"_

"_It's not the same," said Leo. "Piper's a part of my soul. If I lose her, I'll lose myself."_

"_We'll see." _

* * *

Odin had been wrong; utterly wrong. And today, Leo had proven it. From the moment he had told Piper what had happened, she became positively carefree. For once she didn't seem to have the weight of the world on her shoulders and it was a beautiful sight to see. "I never have to worry about losing you again," she had said. Leo felt similarly. They'd overcome so much, obstacles set by themselves and other people, and here they finally were; together without fear or doubt. 

"What are you thinking about?" Piper asked, breaking Leo's reverie. Darkness had settled around them, but Leo hadn't even felt the tug of sleep yet. He was only slightly surprised that Piper wasn't asleep yet either.

"I was thinking about the Elders," said Leo.

"Oh?" said Piper. The worry was evident in her voice and Leo knew that he had to make himself clear.

"I was just thinking about how they never believed that we were meant to be. Or that we would make it if they gave us the chance."

"Well you know that bunch. They're eternal optimists."

Leo smiled. "They thought I would pick being an Elder over being your husband," he said. "They were absolutely convinced. Odin even told me a few weeks ago that if I forgot you everything would be okay. But look what happened today. The choice was finally there, in the plainest terms, and there was no contest."

"You're going to miss it," said Piper quietly.

"What?" asked Leo, genuinely surprised by her words.

"You're going to miss the Elders. And the other Whitelighters. You're going to miss your charges and you're going to miss your powers."

"No I'm not," said Leo. "All I need is you, Piper. You and the boys. I know that now."

"That's sweet, Leo. And that very well could be all your soul needs, but I know you. You're not one to sit idly by while others take the reins."

"Maybe not," said Leo. "But you're not asking me to do that."

Piper sighed. "Well I'm certainly going to be more worried about you, Leo. You're mortal now. But we'll figure it out. It's just going to take time."

Leo shrugged, uncertain. What Piper said made sense, but it contradicted how he felt. Right now he didn't have a care in the world, and it felt glorious. The Elders may have thought that they knew where he belonged, but Leo knew the truth. He remembered his real roots; what his father had said. He remembered Piper's sparkling brown eyes the night he had met her. He remembered the first time he'd been introduced by Phoebe as her brother-in-law and how much he had grieved when Prue died. He remembered Paige's faith that he would help her with her sisters. He remembered when both of his sons came into the world. And these were the memories that he reveled in every single day.

Most importantly, he remembered who he was: a man entwined to a woman through countless past lives and one who was destined to love her no matter what. That was greater than the Elders. Greater than arguments and self-doubt and suffering. Greater than anything else in the world.

That morning, after Piper had finally drifted off, Leo climbed out of bed to stare out the window at the coming dawn. And as the sun rose on his new life, he smiled, knowing once and for all that nothing was strong enough to break him and Piper apart.

**

* * *

A/n: **I'm still not sure how I feel about this chapter, but I thought I'd post it anyway. I can always change it, if I have the inclination. I've actually been thinking about re-doing chapter four because I'm so dissatisfied with it. 

Anyway, that's it for season seven. **P****iperleofan** asked about a chapter regarding Leo's mortality, but in this story I'm not going to delve into that subject beyond what was written in this chapter. However, the idea really intrigued me, so there may be a story of that nature sometime in the future. Thanks so much for the inspiration!

Thank you all for reviewing! I really can't express how much each review means to me. I'd appreciate any feedback on this chapter too! Thanks so much!!

Chapter twenty-one should be up soon!

_Katie_


	21. I Promise You

**Disclaimer**: I don't own _Charmed_ nor do I own anything related to Judith Owens' song, "I Promise You." This takes place after the scene in "Vaya Con Leos" where the Angel of Destiny takes frozen Leo away, but before the last cuts of the sisters in that episode.

**Through the Years**

**Twenty-One: I Promise You**

_Though I'm far dear, though we're parted,  
I know that time can change nothing.  
So if you feel afraid, and if your hope is gone,  
Just remember all these things I promise you._

_I will move heaven,  
I will move hell and earth  
To be where you are.  
I will move heaven,  
And it might take my life,  
It might take forever,  
But I promise you._

-Judith Owens, "I Promise You"

One hour. One hour since they had returned from the underworld. One hour since she had lost Leo. One hour of sitting on the couch listening to Paige and Phoebe's awkward platitudes.

"Leo's going to be fine."

"You two have been through much worse than this."

"We're going to find a way to get him back. And soon. Just wait and see."

"We can beat whatever's coming. We always have before."

After awhile they fell into silence, apparently unable to come up with any other ways to coax Piper into talking. Piper was well aware that they were staring at her, desperately willing her to say something, but she couldn't think of anything to say. Leo was gone. Leo was gone. Leo was gone. Why was Leo gone? How was she going to get him back? Why? Why? Leo was gone. These seemed to be the only thoughts her mind could process right now.

It was Paige that inadvertently made Piper snap.

"At least you found a way to save him," she said. "At least he didn't die. That's something to be grateful for, isn't it?"

As though coming out of a trance, Piper slowly turned to look at Paige. "Excuse me?" she said.

Paige looked unnerved. "I just mean that we should try to look at the bright side, right? It could be so much worse. If he was dead, you'd never see him again. Right?" Paige glanced at Phoebe as though seeking confirmation.

The hard knot that had settled in Piper's stomach an hour ago seemed to explode, spreading a fire of fury throughout Piper's body. She shook her head and tried very hard not to scream. "This is all bullshit, you know," she said, practically spitting the words. Paige raised an eyebrow, clearly skeptical. In contrast, Phoebe's facial features softened, her look clearly pitying. Both looks pissed off Piper even more and she crossed her arms defensively. "Leo was never going to die."

"Piper, you can't—" began Phoebe, but Piper interrupted her.

"Think about it," she said, standing up and beginning to pace. "Do you really think Leo dying in a traffic accident that Paige _proved _was completely unconnected to anything would motivate me? It had nothing to do with demons or a battle or anything evil. It wasn't like Shax. I wasn't going to want revenge. This was all just some sick plan to take Leo away from me. I do what they want and I get him back. If I fuck up, I lose him forever. It's twisted."

Paige opened her mouth to respond, but Piper ignored her, plowing on in her new theory. "They played me. They knew I'd never let Leo die. God. But why? When have I ever slacked off in the demon department? Have I ever actually failed them?" She shook her head. "I hate this. It's not fair." The words were barely out of her mouth when her breath hitched and she began to cry again. The tears were hot and angry and they spilled without abandon.

"Someone's going to pay for this," she hissed. "I am so fucking sick of this. I can't handle this anymore. I can't…"

"Piper…" said Paige.

Piper shook her head, took a sharp breath, and began to yell. "No! Why the hell is it always my sacrifice? Why the hell am I the only one who ever has to give something up? I am so fucking sick of it! Why can't it ever be one of you?"

Paige looked at her, flabbergasted. "Hey, hang on a second, I don't think that's—"

"Paige!" said Phoebe sharply. Paige furrowed her brow, obviously both annoyed and confused, but shut her mouth. Piper felt only the merest twinge of guilt. She was breathing heavily, her were cheeks soaked in tears, and she was in desperate need of a handkerchief, though she made no move to find one. Instead she glared defiantly at her sisters, willing them to make any argument against her.

None came.

After a moment, Phoebe stepped forward and wrapped her arms tightly around Piper. Instinctively, Piper tried to push her away, but Phoebe held on and when Piper couldn't escape her breath hitched again and she began to cry anew.

"It's not fair," she whispered into Phoebe's shoulder.

"I know," said Phoebe. "Shh. I know."

"I just got him back," said Piper. "We were finally getting back on track. And now this happens. It's like we're cursed!"

"You're not cursed," said Phoebe softly. "It's going to be okay, sweetie. We're going to get him back. Trust me."

Piper wasn't sure how long she stood there while Phoebe murmured words of inane comfort. Most of what she said washed over Piper in an unfeeling manner as she cried her heart out on her sister's shoulder. She felt like she had when she still stubbornly refused to believe that Prue was dead. Reality was suspended and she simply wanted to go to sleep and not wake up until things were back to normal.

She finally pulled back from Phoebe, though her sister kept a comforting hand on her shoulder, rubbing it. Paige was crying; silent tears rolling down her cheeks. She made no move to wipe them away. Piper swallowed hard. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm so sorry."

"You don't have to apologize," said Phoebe, her hand moving to the side of Piper's head. Piper leaned into it, never as grateful for Phoebe as she was at this moment.

"Paige," she said, trying to strengthen her voice to reassure her baby sister. Paige hadn't seen her break down in this manner in years, and never before had she seen Piper displace her anger on her sisters in such a way. "Paige, I'm sorry."

Paige let loose a sob and came forward, wrapping her arms around Piper. Piper returned the hug, calmed somewhat by returning to her more natural role as a nurturer. "We'll get him back," said Paige. She pulled away from the hug and looked at Piper with a slight smile. Piper nodded.

"Come on, sweetie," said Phoebe, wrapping an arm around Piper's shoulders. "Why don't you go upstairs and try to get some rest."

Piper shook her head. "I can't," she said. "The boys…"

"I'll take care of the boys," said Phoebe. "They'll be fine."

Part of Piper wanted to argue and insist that the boys needed her, but the more logical part of her knew that what they really needed was someone strong and reassuring. She was in no state at the moment to comfort her children, and they didn't deserve to see her like this. "Okay," she said, her voice hoarse.

Piper went upstairs; she could feel her sisters' eyes on her until she was out of sight. She was sure they were going to discuss every detail of her little outburst, but she didn't really care. Mostly, she felt justified. At least this time she had exploded before a demon did something to make it much, much worse. The one thing she regretted was accusing Phoebe and Paige of not having to sacrifice anything; it wasn't true and the accusation was harsh. She'd have to make sure that they knew she really was sorry. Especially Paige, who she didn't think understood.

Just as these practical thoughts began to calm her down, she reached her room. She took a deep breath before stepping inside and shutting the door, but her heart still sank at the sight of their bed, one of Leo's shirts strewn across the foot. Trying very hard not to think, Piper went to her side of the bed and gingerly lay down. It was then that she spotted it: a piece of notebook paper on her bedside table. Tentatively, she reached out and picked it up, unfolding it. Leo's handwriting jumped off of the page and she bit her lip.

_Piper_, it read, _I don't know if we're going to get through this one. I guess you never know; we have been in other really bad situations before. So I hope that you never see this note, but if you do, if we couldn't stop it, then I want you to know that I love you. I love you so much. You've made my life worth living, Piper, and I don't regret one moment with you. Please don't let the boys forget me._

_Leo._

Without even attempting to stop herself, Piper doubled over, sobbing. No matter what her sisters said, this wasn't going to be okay. This wasn't going to be okay until Leo was home in her arms, and she wasn't going to stop until he was.

**

* * *

A/n: **I'd just like to thank you all again for the reviews. I know that they've certainly been a big part of the motivation for me to continue with this story. I really appreciate every single one. 

Just so you all know I replaced chapter four in this series. I never liked that chapter, so I re-wrote it. Check it out if you have the inclination.

**SinderfullShocker **also suggested another story idea in a review. I really love getting suggestions and ideas from people, and since I've had two already, I'd like to open the floor to anyone who'd like to leave one. I'm open to writing almost anything, so feel free. I appreciate anything anyone might suggest. Either leave the thought in a review or on my livejournal. The link is in my profile. Thanks!

_Katie_


	22. I Miss You

**A/n: **Just to let you all know before reading, this is probably the darkest chapter in the entire story. I just wanted to give fair warning. Also, this chapter assumes the knowledge of what happened in my one-shot "Some Days." It's really not necessary to read that to understand this, but it does provide some more background information.

Thanks so much for the feedback!! I hope you enjoy this chapter too! Only two more to go; I can't believe it.

_Katie_

**Disclaimer**: I don't own _Charmed_ nor do I own anything related to Beverly Craven's song, "I Miss You." This begins during or after the episode, "Mr. and Mrs. Witch" and continues through "Payback's a Witch."

**Through the Years**

**Twenty-Two: I Miss You**

_You found a place in my heart  
From the first moment I saw you  
And you are my light in the dark  
And I would do anything for you  
'Cause you're everything I've ever wished for  
The answer to all of my dreams  
And I want you back  
Home is here with me _

Oh I miss you  
More than words can say  
And I need you here  
In my life always  
Yeah I miss you  
And I'll always be  
Waiting here for you  
'Til you're back with me 

-Beverly Craven, "I Miss You"

One

Piper turned on the video camera, pressed record, and then walked around it and climbed onto her bed, bringing her legs up so she was sitting cross-legged. Tucking her hair behind her ears, she took a deep breath, and began.

"Phoebe thought that taping everyday stuff for you to see was silly, so I can only imagine what she'd say if she knew I was going to just talk to the camera like you're here. But I need to talk to someone…I need to talk to you, and this is the only way I can even come close.

"I've been trying really, really, really hard to just focus on getting you back. I thought that maybe if I just thought about the practical part of it, you know, just following the demons, then I wouldn't think so much about how you're not here." Her eyes filled with tears and she tried to blink them back, but they simply spilled over. "It's not working," she whispered. "I'm thinking about you every second of the day, Leo. When I'm making breakfast; when I'm giving the boys their baths; when I'm driving; when I'm breathing. Every night since you've been gone I've woken up in the middle of the night thinking that you're there, and then I cry when you're not.

"I really miss you. And I'm terrified that I'm never going to see you again. And I'm mad. Oh, Leo, I'm angrier that I've ever been before. I'm furious with the Elders because I think they're behind this whole thing. I'm convinced that it's one big conspiracy; some kind of sick revenge. I'm really angry at myself for not thinking of a better way to stop them. And I've been snippy with everyone else; my sisters, Dad, the people at work… I shouldn't be acting this way. They don't deserve it. I—"

Piper stopped mid-sentence as Chris' cries filled the room via the baby monitor. Sighing, she wiped her eyes with her hands. "I have to go," she said to the camera. "I'll kiss him once for you too. Love you."

Two

"I can't believe that Wyatt was born three years ago today. It seems like just yesterday, don't you think? But he seems so grown up already; I remember when he fit in one of my arms. Oh Leo, I wish you had been here to see what he did to that Elder today!" Piper began to laugh again just thinking about it. "A pie right in the face! I've wanted to do that for years. Except replace the pie with my fist. If only I had gotten that on tape!

"He really misses you, though. So does Chris. I talk to them about you every night and make sure they see lots of pictures. Dad's been trying to help too because I think he wishes someone had done it for us when we were little. I wish someone had." She sighed and tried to shake off her sadness by reaching for some more good news.

"Paige is dating that parole officer she met. Henry. I didn't think too much about it at first because, well, you know Paige's track record with men. But you won't believe what happened today, Leo. Henry was shot and Paige healed him. I think Paige is a little overwhelmed by it because she's never really been in love like that before, but I'm thrilled. I really like Henry, and you know that's a big thing for me to say since I've never liked any of Paige's other boyfriends. You have to admit, though, Richard was a loon and Kyle… Well Kyle tried to kill you, so that's enough said.

"I can't quite get over the coincidence, though. I mean, when I healed you it was the first time I was actually able to let go and admit that I loved you. The fact that it's the same for Paige… I guess I just have a lot of faith in them now because of that. That's probably not the best reason why I should, but I can't change the way things are. I'm just so happy for her, Leo. And I know that you would be too.

"I just hope things go more smoothly for her than they did for us. When I think back to that long ago…" Piper shook her head. "Let's just say that I was incredibly naïve. But I'm glad to be reminded of back then. I like thinking about the good memories instead of just harping on how everything's so screwed up right now."

She paused for a moment. "Next week is our anniversary," she said quietly. Then she shrugged. "I think that speaks for itself." She shut her eyes and wiped away some of the tears that slipped out. "It's been thirty-four days since you were taken away from me. That's thirty-four too many. I thought that at least you'd be here for our anniversary. We were married almost five years ago and we've only spent two anniversaries together. There's something really screwed up about that, don't you think?"

Piper swallowed hard. "And the other thing that's really bothering me is that Phoebe's moving out. She's found an apartment. She's already packed most of her stuff. She's really leaving, Leo. What am I going to do without her?" For several minutes, Piper simply cried, not able to speak. When she finally settled down a little, she smiled sadly at the camera and said, "I know if you were here you'd know exactly the right thing to say. I guess tonight I'll just have to pretend I know that it's going to be okay. I love you."

Three

"I could kill her! Kill her, Leo! I don't care that she's my sister and that I love her like crazy, I want to kick her ass." Piper was pacing in front of the camera this time and as a result, most of the time she was out of frame, but she was so frustrated she didn't care.

"She's moving out tomorrow! Tomorrow! She couldn't wait until the end of the week! No, heaven forbid she actually remember that tomorrow is my ANNIVERSARY and I'm going to be all alone because my husband was stolen from me! She is the most selfish, frustrating person I've ever met in my life!" Piper stopped, kicked the edge of the bed and then turned off the camera.

Four

"It's me again. Same day." Piper was much calmer now, sitting on the bed again and looking at the camera directly. "I think I overreacted a little earlier. I told you that I've been angry lately. Now you know how much.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm still annoyed with her. But I'm annoyed with myself too. I've been the most passive aggressive person in the world the past few days. It's not like I sat down with Phoebe and said, 'Pheebs, could you wait a few more days? Tomorrow is going to be hard enough for me because it's my and Leo's anniversary.' No, I just expect her to know and then get mad when she doesn't remember. Then I do things like offer to let her use my car and then revoke the offer right when she's ready to go. What is wrong with me?

"I made her a box of potion ingredients and put in a cliff notes version of the Book to give to her. I hope she understands that it's my way of making amends. She will, won't she?"

Piper shook her head. "I'm going to bed. I should have taken the kids to Dad's so I could just sleep through tomorrow. Miss you. Love you."

Five

"It's almost midnight. It's almost our anniversary. I couldn't sleep. God, Leo, I miss you so much it's terrifying. I don't even know what I'm doing anymore. Damn it. Come home. Please, please, please come home."

Six

"The boys are at Dad's tonight. Paige is on a date. I have no clue where Phoebe is because she moved out." Piper laughed bitterly. "So I'm going to tell you a secret." She leaned towards the camera like one who was whispering a secret in someone's ear. "I'm drunk. Very, very drunk.

She held a hand up to the camera. "Don't worry. I didn't drive. I went to the club, got the alcohol, brought it home and _then_ got drunk. So I'm okay. A-okay…"

Piper's head drooped slightly and she brought her hand up to the bridge of her nose, pinching it. "I'm lying," she said. "I know you know I'm lying because you always said I wasn't a good liar. You said it _that_ day, remember? Forty-one days ago."

For a moment Piper was so still a bystander might have thought she had fallen asleep. Then, very quietly, she said, "I lied about something else, too. And I have to tell you, Leo, because I need to stop lying to myself about it. But you know. I know that you know. And you're going to hate me…

"Do you remember, after Prue died, that night you found me in the bathroom and I was just staring at all of those pills and you caught me and freaked out? I know I told you that I wasn't going to do anything. That you were jumping to conclusions. But I lied, Leo. I lied. I lied. And last night was our anniversary and I was so upset I couldn't think straight. Because missing you hurts so badly. Paige told me to go to bed. She told me that everything would be alright. But when I went into the bathroom I saw all those pills lined up in the medicine cabinet and just for a second, I thought…"

Piper started crying and slipped from the bed onto the floor, out of frame. She didn't bother to rectify this.

"I can't believe I even thought it again," she choked out. "What a stupid, cowardly… How could I even think about leaving Wyatt and Chris alone? And they would be alone 'cause you're not here. And who else could bring you back, Leo? I'd be failing everyone. I was so mad at myself for thinking it for even one second that I threw out everything. It's all gone.

"Please forgive me. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

Seven

"I'm sorry about last night. When I woke up this morning I remembered everything. I got Paige, Leo, and I told her everything. Because someone has to know. I don't know why I told Paige and not Phoebe. It just seemed like she'd understand better. She said that she knows how hard this is and that she's going to be here more, which I feel bad about. Her life is finally going so well and I'm just screwing everything up for her.

"Leo, I swear to God, I won't do it. I won't even think it again. I'm going to focus more on the kids. And on finding you. I'm going to stop thinking so much about the fact that you're not here. I have to. Dwelling on it isn't going to bring you back. Phoebe said that. She was right.

"I have to stop making these tapes too. They're just making it harder. And just because I'm acting like you're here doesn't make it so. When you come back I'll tell you everything. In person. The way it should be."

Piper nodded, for the first time not crying in front of the camera. Then she stood up and turned off the camera for the last time.


	23. The Long Day is Over

**Disclaimer**: I don't own _Charmed_ nor do I own anything related to Norah Jones' song, "The Long Day is Over." This takes place after the last present day scene in "Forever Charmed."

**Through the Years**

**Twenty-Three: The Long Day is Over**

_Feeling tired  
By the fire  
The long day is over _

The wind is gone  
Asleep at dawn  
The embers burn on

With no reprise  
The sun will rise  
The long day is over_  
_

-Norah Jones, "The Long Day is Over"

Piper didn't seem convinced that he was actually there. All day she hovered nearby, almost always with a hand touching some part of him. That night, as soon as the boys were asleep, she pulled him into the bedroom and pushed him down on the bed. Immediately she began to run her hands over his body, but the touch was in no way sexual. She seemed desperate to reaffirm his presence through touch, and her hands skimmed his entire body twice before they finally came to rest on his face. She clasped his face in both hands and ran her thumbs over his cheekbones, then without warning, began to cry.

Immediately, Leo sat up and wrapped his arms around her. She came closer without hesitation, climbing into his lap and clinging to him while still sobbing. Leo didn't bother with words. He simply held her and waited for her to calm down on her own.

"I didn't think I'd ever see you again," she said, the words mumbled by his shirt and her thick tears.

Leo kissed the back of her head. "I'm here," he said. "I'm here."

Piper pulled back to look him in the eye. "I'm sorry," she said. "I just feel so overwhelmed. I can't believe you're here. That you're real. I've dreamt it a hundred times. What if this is just another dream? What if I wake up and you're not here?"

"It's not a dream this time," said Leo. "Piper, I'm back. And I'm not going anywhere ever again."

Over the next few weeks, he found out that convincing Piper of this was going to be more difficult than he realized.

* * *

He found the tape accidentally, over two weeks after he had returned. Piper had finally gone to work (apparently she had spent less and less time at the club while he was gone and she seemed in no hurry now to take back more responsibility there) and Victor had taken the kids to a concert he had bought tickets for months ago. Leo had been digging in the bedroom closet for a box of his old clothes so he could work on the car while he had some time to himself. Instead he found a tape labeled "2/6/06-2/24/06" and his curiosity piqued. Piper had already shown him the tapes she had made of the kids and he wondered if this went along with those other tapes. Deep down he knew that he should have called Piper and checked, but he didn't. He just went downstairs, popped the tape into the player and watched the entire thing. 

Seeing Piper speaking directly to the camera—directly to him—made him feel susceptible to her pain in a way he hadn't been in years. It was deep and sharp and tangible, similar to the way it had been after Prue died, and Leo could only thank God that Paige had been there to help Piper through what had happened. The video also brought a new light to Piper's behavior since he had returned.

In the past two and a half weeks, he'd seen Piper cry or at least get teary eyed at a minimum of once a day. This day had been the first she'd left him alone since he returned. Even if she was exhausted, she never went to bed until he did. While they slept she'd awaken several times during the night with a jolt and couldn't get back to sleep until she reassured herself that he was still there. As a series of small events, he hadn't thought too much about it. Now, in light of the tape he was more concerned. Her behavior wasn't just the result of missing him for so long or residual nightmares. No. She was simply continuing the fear and obsession that had plagued her while he was gone. And it seemed a very real possibility that she wasn't recovering from what had happened.

The problem was, he wasn't sure if he should talk to her about it. Piper would not admit her problems before she was ready to and if you prodded her it sometimes made the process even slower. And she had left him alone today, which was some progress, wasn't it?

Still, he didn't feel that he could just let it go. Resolved, he decided the best thing to do would be to talk to Paige that night when she and Henry came over for dinner.

* * *

That night, as soon as Paige and Henry arrived, Leo pulled Paige aside. "Can I talk to you for a minute?" he asked. 

"Sure," said Paige cheerfully. "What's up?"

Leo glanced at Piper; she was clearly engaged in conversation with Henry and not paying any special attention to him and Paige. "I found this tape that Piper made while I was gone. Not the one she made of the kids. This one was personal. Just her speaking to me. And Paige, she was a wreck. I haven't seen her that upset in ages."

"She missed you, Leo," said Paige. "This wasn't like when you were an Elder. This time someone took you from her and threatened never to give you back. She was under a lot of pressure and a lot of stress."

"I know," said Leo. "And I understand. I just wanted to thank you."

Paige looked taken aback. "Thank me? For what?"

"For being there for her," said Leo. "I know that it can't have been easy on you either. Especially since you just got married. But I really appreciate it."

"Oh. Well." Paige sighed. "I don't really deserve too much thanks to be honest, Leo. Truthfully, I don't think either Phoebe or I was there as much as we should have been."

Leo furrowed his brow. "But—"

"You want to know how good of a sister I was, Leo? I left Piper alone on your anniversary. I didn't even remember. And when I got home that night I found her sitting in a closet crying." Paige laughed, bitterly. "So yeah, I was a real big help."

"Paige," said Leo seriously, "don't do this to yourself."

"Do what?"

"Take the blame for things you couldn't prevent. Piper would have been a wreck on our anniversary if you were there or not. The point is, I know that you were there for Piper whether you believe it or not. She's mentioned it too, so don't underestimate yourself."

"I just felt really useless," said Paige quietly. "I didn't know how to deal with that kind of desperation." Then she smiled and visibly shook herself, as though casting off the moment of pain. "But she's better now, isn't she?"

Leo bit his lip. "I don't know," he said honestly. "She's been on edge most of the time like she's just waiting for me to just disappear again. And after I saw the tape today… Well, let's just say that I didn't realize just how bad things were while I was gone."

"You need to talk to her," said Paige.

"Yeah," said Leo. "I think you're right."

* * *

As it turned out, the subject was harder to broach than Leo thought it would be. He was trying to wait for an opportune time, a moment when he thought Piper might be open to listening. He was also trying to strike up the courage to tell Piper that he had watched the tape. The way her temper flared these days, he wasn't sure that she'd listen to anything he said after he confessed that. 

Then, two days after he had spoken to Paige, Phoebe provided the catalyst to the conversation. Mid-afternoon there was a knock on the door and Leo opened the door to find Phoebe on the other side twisting her hands together anxiously.

"Hi," she said. "Is Piper home, I need to talk… Oh! Hi Piper."

Leo turned and saw that Piper had come into the hall upon hearing Phoebe's voice. He began to walk away to give them some privacy, but stopped short when he heard the next words out of Phoebe's mouth.

"Piper," she said, "I came over to talk to you about Billie." Leo turned his head towards the conversation and saw Piper visibly stiffen. _Please, Phoebe_, he thought, _just let it go_. _Stop there._ But of course, she didn't. "She has no place to go right now and I told her she should talk to you. She seemed to think you wouldn't want her here, but—"

"She's right," said Piper abruptly. "I don't want her here."

"But Piper, it wouldn't be forever. Just until she can get back on her feet. She's lost everything."

Piper's voice dropped low and threatening in a way Leo had not heard in a long time. "And she almost cost _me_ everyone I love in the world. I won't have her in this house. I absolutely will not have her around my children. Do you understand me?"

"She was manipulated, Piper. Can't you see that? The demons were playing with her mind and so was Christy."

"I don't understand why you're still pursuing this," said Piper. "She tried to kill my child. If you think I'm going to let someone who tried to kill my child back into my life you're sadly mistaken. Never mind that she's essentially the reason Leo was taken from me and that she killed you and Paige, no matter how temporarily."

Phoebe shook her head in an offended manner. "Piper, I know what it's like to be under the influence of evil, remember? Billie may have made some bad choices, but she also had something really dark pushing her in that direction. It's so hard to overcome that, but she did. And against her sister, too. I can't even imagine."

"What if it happens again?" asked Piper. "I'm not taking that risk. Forget it, Phoebe."

"Well what about me?" asked Phoebe. "It could happen to me again. You don't seem to have a problem letting me around the kids."

"That's different," said Piper.

"How?"

"You're my sister. And even when you were under the influence of the Source you _never_ tried to intentionally hurt me or Paige or Leo. So don't try to tell me it's the same."

Phoebe crossed her arms. "You're really not going to back down on this."

"No," said Piper.

"Fine. She can stay with me then."

Piper stared at Phoebe for a moment and then turned away, apparently deciding the conversation was over. "Just keep her away from my kids, Phoebe," she said as she walked away. "I'm serious."

Phoebe sighed and turned to Leo. "Maybe you can talk to her," she said. "She shouldn't hold onto this anger. It's not healthy."

Leo shrugged. "Frankly, Phoebe, I'm not too wild about Billie either. I can empathize with her and I can pity her, but that doesn't mean that I feel comfortable with her around Wyatt and Chris."

For a moment, Phoebe looked like she pitied him, but then she came forward and gave him a brief hug. "I am glad you're back," she said. Then she let him go and left the house. Leo stared at the door for a moment after she left, then walked into the living room to find Piper standing at the window.

"She'll understand when she has kids," said Piper.

Leo nodded, though Piper couldn't see, lost in thought. "I saw the tape," he said abruptly.

"What?" said Piper, turning to face him.

"I saw the tape," said Leo. "I know I probably shouldn't have watched it, but I did. And it scared the hell out of me, Piper." He swallowed hard, trying to cast out the lump in his throat. "I also talked to Paige."

Piper stood frozen and stared at him. He couldn't tell what she was feeling or thinking and that worried him. Still, he plunged forward.

"I'm really worried about you," he said. "And not just because of that. The past two weeks you've hardly let me out of your sight. You panicked when I went out to the garage without telling you. I know that I can't even begin to imagine how hard things have been for you, but Piper, I'm back now. I'm not going anywhere. I swear."

Her face visibly paled. "How do you know that?" she whispered. "What if something else happens? What if they take you to _motivate_ me again? I can't…" Her breath hitched and she shook her head. "I thought that once you came back everything would be fine, but I'm having so much trouble. I can't believe that it's going to work out and I'm so scared all of the time."

Leo stepped forward and took Piper's hands in his, bringing them up to his lips and kissing the back of each hand. "You said the Elders sent Coop to Phoebe consequence-free as an apology, right?"

Unexpectedly, Piper's anger flared. "Who the hell do they think they're apologizing to? You and I are the ones they've screwed with again and again and again. If they wanted to apologize they should have given you back to me. And don't try to tell me they weren't behind this entire thing. I know that they were."

"I just think," said Leo carefully, "that they felt bad about everything that happened. And I think we have to take it as a sign of faith that they're not going to play with our lives again."

"They're the Elders," said Piper. "They and the Angel of Destiny, they all think of us as playthings that are supposed to do their every bidding. I'm sick of it. And I don't trust them."

"I know," said Leo. "But you have to get past this, for your own sake. If you don't, you'll just make yourself crazy."

Piper pulled her hands away and pushed her hair behind her ears. She looked frustrated. "How can you be so matter-of-fact?" she demanded. "They stole four months of your life. _Four months!_ Do you really want to just trust that they won't do it again?"

"What else can we do?" asked Leo.

"Demand a guarantee," said Piper. "I want to set up a meeting and get them to put in writing that they aren't going to threaten my family again to get me to do something for them."

"Piper…"

"No. It's perfect. I'll get Paige to orb me Up There and I'll talk to them. If they really are trying to make amends with us, they'll listen to me."

"They aren't going to respond to ultimatums. And you, more than anyone, should know that."

For a moment, she simply stared at him as though debating whether to continue the conversation. Then without warning her whole face crumpled and she blinked back tears. "I'm just so tired of being scared all of the time," she said.

"You don't have to be scared anymore," said Leo. He pulled her towards him, hugging her tightly. "I'm here. And we saw the future, Piper. You worked so hard to get that future for us. I can't believe it's just going to disappear after everything we've been through. I know it's difficult for you to have faith now, but you have to try."

"I don't know how," she said.

"It'll take time," said Leo. "I'll help you. But Piper, you have to talk to me. You can't keep everything inside. Please, promise me that."

Slowly, Piper nodded against his chest. Then she pulled back a little to look him in the eye again. "Just, for right now," she said, "don't go too far."

"I'll be here," said Leo, "whenever you need me."

* * *

That night, while Leo was saying goodnight to the kids, Piper went into her bedroom to put on her pajamas. Almost immediately she noticed the picture on top of her pillow: it was one of her and Leo that Phoebe had taken at the very beginning of their relationship. One from before she'd even known that Leo was a Whitelighter. It wasn't a great picture by any means; in it they were kissing, but neither she nor Leo had been aware that the picture was being taken: her hair was covering most of her face and Leo was turned three quarters away from the camera. It wasn't Piper's favorite picture, by any means, but it was the first picture that had been taken of them together. Piper picked it up off of the pillow, curious, and flipped it over. On the back, Leo's familiar handwriting jumped out at her. It read: 

_Piper,_

_Here's my guarantee to you: I'm here. And just like always, if you need me all you have to do is call for me and I'll be there._

_Love,_

_Leo_

**

* * *

A/n: **Sorry this one took a few days to get up. We have construction workers at the house right now working on the bathroom which has made it hard to concentrate. And on top of that, I'm fighting off a cold. I finally finished this chapter though, and I thought I'd post it. I'm very interested to hear what everyone thinks; there are parts of it I'm very happy with and other sections that I have mixed emotions about. 

The last chapter is partially written and should be up soon (fingers crossed). Thank you all for the reviews!

_Katie_


	24. Through the Years

**Disclaimer**: I don't own _Charmed_ nor do I own anything related to Kenny Rogers' song, "Through the Years." This takes place in April or May 2030.

**Through the Years**

**Twenty-Four: Through the Years**

Through the years  
When everything went wrong  
Together we were strong  
I know that I belonged  
Right here with you

Through the years  
I never had a doubt  
We'd always work things out  
I've learned what life's about  
By loving you  
Through the years

-Kenny Rogers, "Through the Years" 

"Chris is bringing Jordan to the wedding," said Piper, unfastening her earring and laying it on the table. In the mirror she could see Leo unbuttoning his shirt.

"Am I supposed to be surprised by that?"

"No. But aren't you a little excited? Weddings are romantic. Especially family weddings. Maybe something will finally happen."

Leo looked over at her and smiled. "Aren't you the little matchmaker?"

"I just want him to be happy," said Piper. Finished with her jewelry she turned and crossed the room, wrapping her arms around her husband and kissing him.

"Chris will get there in his own time," said Leo. "Don't worry about him."

Piper raised an eyebrow. "I'm his mother," she said. "And I'm me. How could I not worry?"

Leo laughed and leaned down to kiss her again, but they were interrupted by a knock at the door. "Come in," said Piper, releasing Leo and stepping back.

The door opened and Meli stuck her head in the room. "I just wanted to let you know that I'm home," she said. "And to say goodnight."

"Did you have a good time?" asked Piper.

"Yeah," said Meli. "It was fun. I'm not sure how much of it Susanna will remember…"

"Did she get home okay?" asked Leo.

"I took her to her and Wyatt's place myself," said Meli. "I don't know how I got stuck with the job. I'm only the sister of the groom, not the maid of honor or anything."

Piper smiled and shook her head. "You always have it so hard."

Meli stuck out her tongue and then laughed. "Alright," she said. "I'm going to bed. I love you both."

"Love you too," Piper and Leo said simultaneously. Meli shook her head. "'Night," she said, and she left, shutting the door behind her.

Leo sighed. "When did they all get so grown up?"

"I have no idea," said Piper. "I can still remember when they all used to fight about who got the toy in the cereal box. Now Meli's the only one living at home, and I'm not sure that's going to last much longer."

"Why? Did she say something?" asked Leo. He tossed his shirt into the hamper and unhooked his belt.

"No," said Piper, pulling off her own shirt and adding it to the pile of dry cleaning. "But she's not going to want to stick around here forever, and she's already been out of college for a year."

"It'll be weird when she leaves," said Leo, taking out a pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt. "It's never been just you and I in this house."

Piper grinned. "I could always ask my sisters to move back in."

Leo gave a short bark of laughter. "No thanks," he said.

"Why not?" asked Piper. "It will be just like the good old days. You and Phoebe fighting over the cereal. Paige leaving things everywhere. Bickering. Absolutely no privacy. Sounds like heaven to me. And even better, this time they'll come with husbands and kids."

"Well you've convinced me," said Leo. "Let's call them right now and give them the good news."

"Wow," said Piper. "You've really become sarcastic in your old age."

"I think that after twenty-nine years of marriage you've rubbed off on me a little bit."

Piper, now clad in her most comfortable pajamas, stuck out her tongue at his back as she turned down the covers for the night and climbed into bed. "I've actually been thinking that we should turn the boys' room into a guest room," she said. "That could be a fun project, right?"

"Can't we use it as a guest room the way it is?" asked Leo. He came around to his side of the bed and crawled in, rolling onto his side to face her.

"With just bunk beds, a futon and those glow in the dark stars all over the ceiling?" asked Piper. "I don't think so. Once things settle down after the wedding I think we should just start all over."

"If you want to," said Leo apathetically. "But the wedding is still a month away, so you don't have to think about redecorating for at least another five weeks."

"You're right," said Piper. "What I really have to do is figure out what I'm serving at the rehearsal dinner. I meant to call Wyatt today and ask him what kind of food the Chins prefer, but I never got around to it."

"Tomorrow," said Leo, laying a hand on her arm before she could reach for the phone.

Piper nodded. "Okay. Tomorrow." She leaned over and turned off the light on her bedside table, plunging the room into darkness and then turning back to Leo. They leaned towards one another and kissed, just as they had nearly every night for thirty years. "I love you," said Piper, lying back on her pillow. Leo stared at her for a moment longer, a smile lingering on his face.

"What?" said Piper.

"Nothing," said Leo. "I was just thinking that I'm the luckiest man in the world."

Piper smiled and rolled onto her side. "I could have told you that," she said.

A moment later she felt Leo's arms snake around her and he kissed the back of her head. "I love you too," he said quietly. "I love you too."

-_Fin_-

**

* * *

A/n: **Wow! I can't believe that after nearly two years I'm finally finished! I'm really, really going to miss this project. 

I thought the best way to end this story would be with a nice, normal moment (since Piper craved them so throughout the show). I hope that after so much drama the happy ending was a nice change. Please let me know what you think, both of this chapter and the series overall. I may do series for the other major couples too (Prue/Andy, Phoebe/Cole, and Paige/Henry) if anyone is interested.

Most importantly, I'd like to thank every single person who read and reviewed this story. I'd also like to say to those who reviewed every (or almost every) chapter that I really appreciate it. Every time I posted a chapter, I'd think, "I can't wait to hear what so-and-so thinks this time!" You guys truly made this experience worthwhile. I never in a million years thought this story would get over 100 reviews, so thank you, thank you, thank you!

I hope you will continue to follow my writing! Thanks again.

_Katie_


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